


Passion and Possession

by Scribe32oz



Series: Seven Scrolls [16]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ensemble Cast, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Character of Color, Humor, Interracial Relationship, Novella, Obsession, Romance, Strong Female Characters, Thriller, Western
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-02-06 00:50:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 86,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12805995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribe32oz/pseuds/Scribe32oz
Summary: As Four Corners prepares for the wedding of Chris Larabee and Mary Travis, Ella Gaines returns determined to see the day never take place, while Vin Tanner is forced to confront a face from his past when Charlotte Richmond returns to reclaim him.





	1. Two Kinds of Passion

 

There are two kinds of passion.

There is the passion of yearning for something so completely fulfilling, now distant and far away, until there is nothing left but the constant longing for its return. Time does not diminish the intensity of the hunger, it merely deepens it until any of the associated imperfections attached to it are eroded away. It is passion that consumes everything, dulling the appreciation of what is until the burning desire for what was or might have been, becomes a poison for which there is no antidote. It seeps into the veins like a vile concoction, tainting the whole until there is nothing left but the overriding need to satisfy something that should have remained forgotten.

She still burned for him.

At night, when the other held her close, whispering his dreams for a new beginning, she could only let her mind drift to him, who for one brief moment, showed her perfection. Patiently, she endured the other's attempts to pleasure her, resigned to knowing he never would and fighting back the need to escape and find the man who had. She knew where he was and for a long time after he walked out of her life, she stared at the stars overhead and dreamed of the night they shared the canvas of light together. She wondered if he ever gazed into the sky like she did and wondered about her as often as she thought about him.

She hoped time would ease the burden inside her heart. At times, she hated him for making her feel this way, hating him for making her burn for him so but knew if she stopped yearning for him, she would lose the best part of herself. Yet without him, she wouldn't care if she did. There was no respite, no end to the want inside her and with each day that passed, her life slipped further into the mists, until the only reality she could endure was the brief time she spent with him.

She would recall what he looked like and remember he was a beautiful man, even though he took great pains to hide it. After she laid eyes on him that first time, she could not imagine why someone so handsome would hide the way he did until she understood he did not believe himself to be beautiful. When she looked at him, she understood what it was for the first time to lust purely for the sake of it. She wanted him and though it took time to break through the barrier of her reservations, it crumbled at the sight of those almost childlike eyes and a face that should have been immortalized on someone's canvas.

Of course, he never imagined anyone could feel passion for him and was almost grateful for the attention. It had never occurred to him women could perceive him as a thing of beauty. He did not believe himself to be attractive to women with no idea a smile from him could send most of them into fits of orgasmic distraction. He was such an innocent in these matters that when she chose to pursue him; he stood no chance of resistance.

Until then, he was quiet to the point of almost being shy, a thing that escalated her passion for him more than the lack of physical contact from her husband. His eyes did not just look at her, they teased her with his own desires. When he tried to speak to her, his attempts to charm were so clumsy it became obvious he had not much practice in such matters. His words oozed with feeling, dripping with desire he dared not acknowledge because he knew she belonged to another.

It did not help the rift between herself and the man she chose for her husband was widening with each mile traversed in the long journey they were taking. As man and wife, they viewed each other like strangers, bound together by the loss of a child but forever split apart because they were unable to cope with each other's grief. The further apart she drifted away from her husband, the easier it became to justify the shy young man was what she wanted, with caution being edged closer and closer to being hurled heedlessly into the wind.

When there was danger and terrible men spirited her away, it was not her husband who came to find her, it was him. Without any thought of the danger, he risked himself to save her and in doing so, sealed both their fates as they rode into the sunset. Of course, they never reached the others that night.

Even as they rode away with the intention of returning to the others, she knew this night was for them and whatever happened tomorrow was still far enough away for neither to care.

Under the same stars she would stare longingly into every night after that, they made passionate love the likes of which she had never known. Once freed of his inhibitions, he indulged himself by pleasuring her with such searing intensity that nothing before or since could compared to the experience.

Everything about him remained vivid in her mind. The silk of his skin, the softness of his lips as he devoured hers and tasted every inch of her body, the raw heat he was capable of generating because he dared to find every place that yielded pleasure and exploit it.

That night, their bodies melded continuously, burning with the same passion that kept the fires aflame at the campsite where they pleasured each other. She remembered the soft cries of her ecstasy and the groans he made when he reached his peak and was about to release it within her. She savoured such memories, allowing them to warm her during the nights when it was necessary to feign some interest in the performance of her marital duties. Despite her husband's attempts to rekindle some genuine passion, even he understood he was powerless against a memory.

As much as that night was treasured and enjoyed, she knew as much as he had, it was a one-time event. Even though she wanted him still and she knew that it was much more than that for him, she tried to walk away, to leave the edge of the precipice from which she hung so precariously. She saw the pain in his eyes because he did not understand the complications that came from being wed to someone else. He was a creature of feeling, even though it was restrained most of the time. However, when it was allowed to emerge, he could see nothing but the emotions he was feeling and believed it to be a simple matter of just acting on those baser impulses.

For a time, they dreamed like children, catching a moment in the sun before the sensibilities of adulthood claimed them again. Faraway places with names that held more enchantment than the reality ever could, sprung to mind as they imagined a paradise to offer them refuge in their sinful indulgence.

Like Brazil.

It was he who came to his senses first and realized what they did was wrong. He was honourable this man she loved so passionately. Bearing a streak of nobility that would allow him to put principle ahead of his own desires, he knew he had to step away. On some level, she knew he was right but accepting it was hard no matter how he tried to convince her it was the right thing to do. His want for to return to her husband told her the fever that allowed them to take leave of their senses was gone.

It was time to walk away before more people were hurt.

She watched him go, feeling a little part of her die as he disappeared with promises he would always love her, even though they would never encounter each other again. She accepted his well wishes and returned to her husband whose happiness to have her back had allowed the broken fences between them to be mended. For the first time in a long time, her husband looked at her with love.

And she looked back thinking how he could never be the man who had just rode away with his six friends.

She endured the return to married life as best she could, throwing herself into the building of a new home on a piece of land that would have been ideal if the man she shared it with was not her husband, but the lover she mourned daily. Eventually, her ambivalence started showing and the animosity that had been the cause of all this sorrow, returned with as much vigour. The rift created this time was wide enough to be permanent and even her husband knew there would be no healing it.

They continued as they had always done, two animals locked in the same cage while she indulged herself with thoughts of the man she really wanted until the passion for him reached climax, and she now found herself on this lonely road.

She knew the stage came by this trail regularly and she left her horse untethered, confident it would know the way home after she was gone. Everything she owned was wrapped up in a neat bundle including all the jewellery her mother had given her for her wedding. She had enough money to secure passage on the stage and when she reached her destination, the jewellery would allow her a few weeks accommodation while she sought him out.

As she heard the thunder of hooves coming down the road, she picked up her belongings and flagged the stage to a halt as it rounded the corner. The stagecoach driver whom she saw on occasion, immediately spotted her and brought the team of horses under his control to a halt.

"Good morning." The elderly man greeted, tipping his weather-beaten hat at her at the same time.

"Is there room Isaac?" She asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure thing," he nodded. "Where're you headed?"

Charlotte Richmond paused to answer as she was about to climb into the stagecoach.

She replied with a smile. "Four Corners."

* * *

 

There was also another kind of passion.

There was the kind that was almost as infectious as the first. It consumes with as much intensity and drives all other emotions away, even the ones that know the difference between right and wrong. It is a passion so complete in its possession of the soul it becomes the madness of obsession. Once entrenched, nothing would release its hold upon the heart.

She still burned for him.

Even after everything that transpired between them, despite the finality of their last meeting, she could not let him go. She would never let him go. She would pursue him until the end of time if need be because he was hers. Even if it meant damning him to the same hell fire she would undoubtedly be forced to spend eternity, she would not release him. Perhaps it was the one way to ensure he would be hers finally. She had sacrificed everything for him and she would continue to pay the price required, because he was her destiny.

She knew this even though it was difficult for him to comprehend it.

He was after all a man and despite her love for him, she had to appreciate he could not understand things as women do. However, his lack of comprehension was of little consequence since she could do the thinking for both of them, as she had often done whenever he chose to go astray. It was a chore she happily endured though, making the hard choices for him when he was incapable of making them himself. Ever since that first coupling, where they had come together in youthful abandon, she knew it was her lot in life to forever guard him and keep him from the dangers intruding their grand love.

Theirs was a relationship transcending time and space. No matter how far away he was, no matter what he may tell himself about her, she knew the truth.

She loved him from the moment she met him, and would continue to do so until the last breath left her body and she was burning in hell for the sins committed to possess him. There was no end to them, there would never be so long as they were within reach of each other.

She let nothing stand in her way, not then and certainly not now. When he made the ultimate show of foolishness by marrying some farmer's daughter, she watched with careful deliberation. Of course, she knew the woman meant nothing to him. He could be so misguided at times by these foolish dalliances with women who could never possibly hope to understand him or love him the way she did. Still she endured their presence in his life, knowing it would not be for long and when it was required, she stepped in and took matters into her own hands.

For his own good of course.

When he married, she was slightly disappointed he would go to all the trouble when it was simpler to just sleep with the woman and be done with it, but then he was never very smart. The woman, he chose, with her wide-eyed look of innocence might have tricked him into believing this was the honourable thing to do. She sat back, waiting patiently for this show of domestic bliss to run its course and he would come back to her, as he was meant to.

Until the child came.

When the child arrived, she understood the farmer's daughter was attempting to sever the love that existed between them for so long. He was as vulnerable as most men to the pride of having a son and for the first time, she began to perceive the threat that was his marriage to their long standing emotional bond. Deciding it was necessary to act for his benefit as well as hers, she took steps to dissolve this untenable situation he had stumbled into. It was easy enough to arrange since he travelled a great deal to support this family that was now not only an emotional burden to him, but also a financial one.

She watched from afar the flames that blazed when the men she sent to free him had finished their work. She watched the small house burn, mesmerized by the dance of amber in the night sky, hearing not the screams of his little family, but the sweet song of his freedom drowning out the murder she committed for him. She stayed there until the house was nothing but cinders, until the fire could consume nothing more and the billowing smoke disappeared when the sun ascended over the horizon.

She lost him for a time following the fire and searched for him through the agents at her disposal. Eventually, she heard stories about a sombre, brooding gunslinger who was always garbed in black and tended to drown himself in whisky during the nights he took up residence in any saloon. She felt his pain and wished she could explain the necessity of what had been done, knowing if he could only hear her say the words, he would understand it was for his own good. A man such as he could not be tethered by the mundane concerns of family and responsibility. He was a free spirit, a force of nature that could not be tamed.

Later on, when he had found solace in the town she would come to know as Four Corners, she was pleased to learn he was rekindling his desire to live by finding six friends who would protect him as well as offer him comfort from the loneliness of her absence. She waited until the time was right to present herself to him, knowing as soon as they were together again, all the sorrow of what he lost would be forgotten.

Except he was angry.

He almost killed her for taking his family from him. If he had not desisted in killing her, she would have been forced to consider perhaps he might not have been as in love with her as she originally believed. However, she did not like what that could mean and the terrible implications following that train of thought meant if she was wrong about how he felt about his family's death then perhaps, she might have been wrong about a great many things.

She left because he was still grieving for his family and knew he needed time to accept the purity of their love before he could come to her. Naturally, she had people keeping a close eye on him and intelligence regarding his life there reached her with regularity. It kept her abreast of what was happening in his life until she was ready to take her place in it once again.

Unfortunately, things rarely occurred as they should and now she was informed he intended on taking another wife. She remembered the woman Mary Travis and considered the blond widow to be a rival even more formidable than the farmer's daughter. This was no simple woman who was content to raise a child waiting for her husband on a homestead. Mary Travis was a power onto herself and she had the intelligence to cause serious concern.

So, for the second time in his life, she was going to have to save him from another mistake. Mary Travis would be harder to deal with then Sarah Connelly but then any woman who captured Chris Larabee's heart had to have mettle.

Fortunately, Ella Gaines had more.


	2. Homecoming

"How long are you going to be hiding out here for?" Buck Wilmington asked Chris Larabee as the two men sipped coffee on the front porch of Chris's shack. With the arrangements for his wedding to Mary Traviscurrently being the main occupation of almost everyone he knew in Four Corners, Chris fled the town in hopes of escaping the chaos of those preparations. Instead, he chose to take refuge in the familiar surroundings of the shack situated on the plot of land he had bought not long after his arrival in Four Corners.  
  
The strange thing of it was, Chris never intended on staying in the dusty town he had more or less happened upon by chance during one hot day in summer, on his way from some place he no longer remembered, to somewhere else that mattered as much. He could not understand why he bothered to stop at all, save perhaps needing a drink because the day was hot and dry and he was in need of a shot of whiskey, which he never ended up drinking. At least not until after the gun battle that would changed the course of his whole life from that point on, had concluded.  
  
"I'll ride in there sometime today." Chris remarked as he eased back into the chair, admiring the day beyond his porch and deciding with a secret smile he had not picked a bad spot to build.

It was late fall and the leaves were turning golden with beams of sunshine peering through the cracks of the foliage, bathing the place in a warm amber glow. Besides its aesthetic value, the land was also fertile as evidenced by the trees surrounding the shack and the waist length blades of grass covering most of the property. He supposed that one of these days he ought to think about doing something with it since the soil was good for growing. Still, Chris never fancied himself a farmer, nor could he bring himself to ruin the inordinate beauty of the place by trying to tame it.  
  
"That's right," Buck nodded as he remembered what day it was. "Billy gets in today doesn't he?"  
  
"Yeah." Chris nodded, feeling some pleasure at the eminent arrival of Mary's son. With the new school house being erected in readiness for the semester next year, Mary finally had reason to bring Billy home permanently to Four Corners.  
  
She had been wrestling with the decision for quite some time now and Chris knew it was hard for her to be separated from her young son for such long periods of time. In some way, his pleasure at seeing Billy return home permanently had as much to do with how happy it would make Mary, as much as his own joy to see Billy again.  
  
"For good." Chris added after a moment. Despite his usual laconic manner, he was unable to keep the pleasure from his voice at the boy's homecoming. Although it had been extremely difficult to admit to himself, Billy reminded Chris so much of Adam it ached just as much as it did for Mary whenever Billy had to return to school in Eagle Bend.  
  
"So will you be keeping this place once you and Mary tie the knot?" Buck asked, his gaze sweeping over the landscape before him and could understand if Chris was reluctant to move into town and leave this all behind.  
  
There was a serenity in the stillness of the woods around them that tended to offer peace of mind. Chris had certainly needed it. When he first arrived in Four Corners, the gunslinger was a notch or two above savage. Buck understood the reason for it of course and they remained friends, no matter how sullen and dark Chris had become in the wake of Sarah and Adam's death. He knew much of Chris's decision to live again had to do with the fellowship that formed between the seven men who acted as the law in Four Corners as well as the arrival of Mary Travis into his life.  
  
Buck Wilmington knew people.  
  
While his behaviour bordered on the buffoonish at times, there was more going on behind his blue eyes than most people suspected. His easy going manner masked a personality prone to watching and studying human responses. It was his insight that allowed him to be the most approachable of the seven. It was also the reason why he was such a success with the ladies.  
  
From the moment Mary Travis asked him about Chris Larabee, Buck sensed the inquiry was motivated by more than just journalistic curiosity. Perhaps the prim and proper Mrs Travis might have been merely interested, but the beautiful creature beneath, whose blue grey eyes flared with hidden fire, desired something more. The empathy in her eyes as Buck told her about Sarah and Adam had given away to a deep understanding. Following that day, they were always skirting on the edge of something that was obvious to everyone but themselves.  
  
Buck wondered if either suspected how inevitable their relationship was. Nevertheless, as far as Buck was concerned, Mary had done the impossible. Against all odds, she was the only person in years to penetrate the hard shell of Chris Larabee's grief. With Mary, Buck had seen Chris come alive the way nothing had since before Sarah and Adam's death. It was easy enough to understand how one woman could change a man's life so drastically if that woman was Mary Travis.  
  
Even Buck had to recognize she was one of those rare women who could heal a man with nothing more than a breezy smile and a toss of her golden hair. Buck loved her as all the seven loved her. She was their friend and in the beginning of their time here, their most ardent supporter. She accepted all of them without question or doubt, knowing they all had a past but concerning herself with none of it because she had faith in them. At a time, when most of them spent their years as exiles from life, Mary welcomed them with open arms.  
  
Mary had made them a family and it was why every one of the seven would die for her if need be.  
  
"I thought I might have Vin stay at the shack." Chris announced, answering Buck's earlier question about the fate of this place once he and Mary were married. Chris had no difficulty staying in town with Mary at her home, since it made sense to do so with Mary's role as editor of the Clarion News, and Chris's responsibilities as one of the town's lawmen. The gunslinger also knew it was pointless making the offer to Buck because his old friend was a social creature who liked having people around him all the time and would soon tire of this place and its solitary location.  
  
"He'd like that." Buck agreed, knowing the choice was a good one. Vin preferred the quiet and was accustomed to taking off in his wagon just to escape the noise of urban living, if a town like Four Corners could be perceived as such. While these forays into the wilderness had lessened in frequency since Alexandra Styles entered his life, Buck knew Vin would appreciate a place far away from the hustle and bustle of town living.  
  
"Where is he anyway?" Buck inquired, aware Vin had left town but little else. "Don't tell me he's off pining somewhere for Alex because she's gone to Sweetwater for a few days."  
  
Chris threw Buck a look that told him to take another guess.  
  
"Well I'll be..." Buck laughed as it finally dawned on him what Chris was alluding to. "I never thought Vin had it in him to be so sneaky."  
  
"I'm guessing they're probably together somewhere out of the way." Chris glanced at Buck with a wolfish grin as he thought of what Alex and Vin were probably doing at this moment.  
  
"No doubt signing the hotel register as Mr and Mrs Smith." Buck added.  
  
"Something like that." Chris answered. "I think Vin wanted to get her away from town after everything she'd been through the last few months." 

"Can't say I blame him," Buck agreed, aware that it had been a trying number of months for Vin and Alex. First with Randall Mason, then the whole ugly business with the Klan and last but not least goddamn Riley Marshall. Hopefully, the couple were somewhere enjoying some heated quality time together, in the confines of an out of the way hotel, in a town no one had probably heard of. Buck found himself sighing with envy. "Well at least they're engaged now."  
  
"Yep, it does stop the tongues wagging for some reason." Chris replied, remembering how much simpler things became when Mary and he made their relationship public with news of their engagement. Although it was a mixed blessing considering what was happening in town at this moment. Inez was organizing the wedding with Julia Pemberton in assistance since Mary was too filled with excitement at the notion of having Billy home, to give any thought to such arrangements.  
  
Chris who hated fanfare of any kind was starting to have this terrible suspicion his wedding was going to be about as low key as a three-ringed circus. When he had told Mary to do what she wished, he assumed there would be a quiet ceremony with close friends and a tasteful get together after. With so much to do, what with the paper and Billy coming home, Mary had unwisely given over the organization of the wedding to Inez who was more than thrilled to do this thing for her best friend.  
  
Unfortunately, it did not take very long before they soon discovered the scope of Inez's vision for the day and suddenly, Chris decided Mary had made a mistake of biblical proportions. Unfortunately there was no way to stop it, without offending just about everyone Inez had dragged in putting thhis together. Thus Chris decided the safest place for him to be at this time was right here, away of the line of fire. He could almost understand why Vin and Alex had decided to take this trip out of town to avoid being recruited as Inez's wedding helpers.  
  
"Inez is driving Ezra crazy planning this thing for you." Buck said with a smile, remembering the gambler's state of mind this morning when he learned he was required to take over the bartending duties for the day while Inez ran errands for the forthcoming nuptials.  
  
"All I'm doing is turning up for the thing." Chris said firmly, having no wish to become embroiled in the preparations. As it was, he was shuddering at what a debacle the actual event was turning into and kept telling himself it would be worth all this trouble when Mary was his bride.  
  
Keeping that thought firmly in his mind was the only thing preventing Chris from riding very far out of town. He had no wish to become a part of a community or to be considered respectable for that matter. Chris still saw himself as the town's bad element even though it was somewhat difficult to maintain the image when his fiancee was a pillar of the community and his wedding was turning out to be the social event of the year.

Perhaps there was time to make it to Mexico.  
  
"Well, I got an interesting bachelor party planned for you." Buck grinned with just enough mischief on his face to give Chris cause for concern.  
  
Chris stared at him sharply, perfectly aware of what kind of parties Buck was inclined to throw. His head was starting to throb just remembering how he felt the morning after the party Buck threw him when he married Sarah. If Buck had anything like that planned for him then Chris had good reason to be very afraid.

"Buck, I want to be able to walk down the aisle not be carried down it, so whatever you're planning, it better not be like it was the last time you threw me a stag party."  
  
"Aw come on Chris," Buck exclaimed, throwing him a look of mock hurt. "You had a great time at your bachelor party." He reminded.  
  
"A great time?" Chris stared at him. "I woke up in the middle of a field at Hank's place, with a bell tied around my neck and not much else! The man was already gunning for me for marrying his daughter!"  
  
"Yeah," Buck smiled completely unrepentant and wished there had been a way to capture the moment, especially when Chris had to sneak into town wearing little more than his boots and that cow bell. "But trust me, you had fun."  
  
"I'll take your word for it," Chris grizzled. "I still don't remember a thing."  
  
"This time, I promise it will be different."  
  
Chris gave him a stern look and warned in no uncertain terms, using a voice reserved for manic Confederate generals and errant ranch owners with delusions of grandeur. "If I wake up anywhere strange with less than I got on when I came into this world, I will hunt you down and kill you Buck. Wedding day or not."  
  
"Would I let anything to happen you pard, especially on your big day?"   
  
Chris did not even bother to answer.

* * *

  
Her son was coming home.  
  
Beyond that, Mary Travis had let nothing else penetrate her thoughts today as she made preparations for the arrival of Billy on the next stage. Although Billy had returned home on numerous occasions before this, today was special because he was coming home for good and with her impending marriage less than a week away, Mary had a lot of reason to be happy. The past year had seen many changes in her life. Mary never suspected when she first cast her eyes on that black garbed stranger who rode into town with an air of mystery surrounding him, how much chaos he would bring to her own existence.  
  
Not that she would have traded one moment of it for anything.  
  
However, with Billy coming home, Mary looked upon the future with a sense of expectation of what tomorrow would bring. The nature of who she was and the man she loved had more or less written it in stone her life would never be quiet or normal. The only thing that marred an otherwise exciting existence was the absence of her son and as of today all that would change.  
  
Mary rose early this morning and immediately aired out Billy's room, spending an hour changing the linen on his bed and ensuring everything was perfect for him when he finally arrived. She dusted and cleaned, performing all the domestic duties a mother was supposed to do for her only son, blissfully happy to know she would soon be doing these things on a daily basis. She took note of the carved horse on his bureau and recalled with a smile when he first received the tiny figurine carved from wood.  
  
It had come to Billy during his first meeting with Chris and Mary recalled with fondness how Chris managed to draw a smile out of Billy where none had been for so long. At the time, Billy was hiding the secret regarding his father's death, a burden which manifested itself as terrible nightmares that left Mary no choice but to send him away to Eagle Bend, to protect his sanity. Thanks to Chris and the rest of the seven, Billy was able to reveal the true identity of Steven's killers and bring the men responsible to justice. However, more importantly then that, the boy started the first tentative steps to healing from the wounds of that terrible experience.  
  
After that, Mary became accustomed to sharing Billy's time whenever he was home from school and it was time she gave up willingly when she saw how much her son adored Chris, even before they became lovers. Man and boy were able to fill a void within each other that had been vacant for far too long. Chris was the only person Billy had truly connected with since Steven died and Mary liked to think her son touched a part of Chris still grieving for his own child.  
  
Mary spent most of the morning, preparing Billy's room for his return until she was changing the linen twice and three times because of her determination to have everything perfect when he finally stepped through the door. She wanted nothing to mar this day and was adamant everything was ready and waiting by the time the stagecoach brought Billy into Four Corners. Following her preparations in his bedroom, Mary started thinking he would be hungry and thus found herself in the kitchen where she was soon preparing a dozen different dishes she knew were Billy's favourite.  
  
She was in the middle of slicing apples for a pie when she heard a knock on her kitchen door. With a knife and bowl of apples in hand, Mary made her way to the door and saw Julia Pemberton waiting outside the front step. Since her miscarriage some time ago, Julia's relationship with Mary had improved after the turbulence of the emporium owner's first few days in Four Corners. Unlike Alex who was a sardonic wit and Inez who was a storm waiting released, Julia was vain, egocentric but capable of surprising everyone with a streak of warmth she detested anyone to see. Slowly but surely, Mary had come to realize despite her manner, Julia considered her, Alex and Inez the first real friends she ever had.

"You look busy." Julia pointed out as the red head followed Mary into the kitchen after the lady let her in through the door.  
  
Mary Travis's kitchen appeared to be a work in progress with pots and pans covering the counter tops and ingredients awaiting preparation on the kitchen table. Julia was not much of a cook but she knew when a feast was being readied.  
  
"Billy is coming home today." Mary smiled, unashamed of how happy she felt at this moment. The joy of knowing her son was coming home to her was making her positively giddy and she radiated delight from every pore.  
  
"I know," Julia said with a straight face. "You've been telling us this at least three times a day for the past week. I take it from the look of this kitchen you're planning to cook all his meals for the next week today?"  
  
"He's a growing boy." Mary pouted but could not deny there was enough food on the table to feed the entire Union Army.  
  
"What do you want him to grow into, a horse?"   
  
"Are you here for a reason?" Mary scowled at the woman sarcastically, unwilling to hear any rebuke today because her son was coming home. Besides, she huffed silently; it was a mother's prerogative to see her son had a decent home cooked meal with as wide a selection to choose from.  
  
Julia chuckled deciding to give Mary a break.   
  
"Actually, I'm here for Inez. She wants you to pick which flower you would like for the reception."  
  
"Flower?" Mary wrinkled her brow in exasperation, telling herself yet again Inez was only trying to make things perfect for her with this escalation of her simple wedding to a full blown social event.  
  
"Yes," Julia reached into the basket she brought with her and produced two small bundles of local flowers. Mary could not remember what they were called but one was a pale lavender shade and the other was a vibrant red. "Pick." The emporium owner said holding them both up for Mary's scrutiny.  
  
Mary studied both bundles for a moment and decided to go with the lavender because while the red on its own was pretty, as an arrangement in volume, would appear quite garish. The burst of colour on the day would probably kill the groom whose sole appreciation of colour was a grim black. "Tell her the lavender."   
  
"Good choice." Julia nodded with approval and then secreted the flowers into her basket once more. "Incidentally, you do realize you have created a monster, do you not?"  
  
"I know, I know," Mary groaned as she went back to peeling her apples. "I had no idea Inez's idea of a wedding could be so grandiose. Yesterday, she had me picking up the kind of napkins we would like at the reception."  
  
"Considering half the guests are barely house broken, it does seem to be a redundant gesture." Julia agreed perfectly aware of how maniacal Inez was getting since most of the linen for the wedding was coming from her Emporium.  
  
Julia had not forgotten how comforting Mary had been when she lost her baby and had donated all linen for the reception as her wedding gift to the couple. "Why do you think Alex got out of town so fast?"  
  
"Because she wanted a sinful weekend with Vin?" Mary looked at Julia with a raised brow and an evil smile.  
  
"Why Mrs Travis," Julia laughed with mock reproach in her voice. "I thought a respectable journalist like yourself would be above such tawdry gossip."  
  
"I know, I know, " Mary replied showing no sign of guilt. "I feel absolutely sick about it."  
  
"Are you and Chris planning some sort of honeymoon after the wedding?" Julia asked since no mention of it was made, at least from Inez.  
  
"I don't know," Mary replied. Honestly, the thought of such a thing never occurred to her. What with the wedding and Billy coming home, the idea of a honeymoon had completely slipped her mind. "I don't really want to leave Billy with strangers. He's going to have a hard enough time fitting back into life at Four Corners on a permanent basis. Not to mention, he doesn't know any of the local children."  
  
"Well he'll get to know them when school opens." Julia pointed out. "Have you acquired a school teacher yet?"  
  
"Yes as a matter of fact," Mary said brightly, glad she was prepared for at least one thing. Mary had sent letters of inquiry across the state in search of someone who would be willing to accept a teaching post in such rugged surroundings. Despite the fact that Four Corners was reaching some semblance of civilization, the news had yet to reach the rest of America and finding someone to fill the post had been quite an effort. Still, Mary was pleased she found someone who was suitably qualified.  
  
"Her name is Audrey King and she's been teaching for fifteen years. Apparently, her husband passed on recently and she wants to get a new start somewhere with her twelve-year-old daughter. Her references are quite impressive. She'll be here sometime this week, apparently to get settled in before the school year begins."  
  
"This is the place for beginnings." Julia replied, being able to attest to that fact personally. "Well, I've got to get going." she sighed as she remembered she had a dozen other errands to run for Inez today. If she had known how determined Inez was to make this wedding nothing less than perfect, Julia might have reconsidered her offer to lend the woman a hand. Still, Julia had to admit she liked being able to help. 

Back in Philadelphia, her female relations never liked her enough to ask her assistance in such matters and it felt good to be finally included in such an event. Looking at the list Inez had given her with instructions of what she was required to do, Julia met Mary's gaze and responded. "I apparently have to go find Gloria Potter and put the wind up her about getting a three-layered cake ready for the ceremony with a dozen icing roses on each section."  
  
"Oh my God." Mary exclaimed, having enough expertise at cake making to know how much of a chore _that_ was going to be. "A dozen roses?"  
  
"I told you," Julia said as she started to leave, "you've created a monster."  
  
"You're telling me," Mary groaned.  
  
"Mary," Julia paused as she was about to walk out the door. "Want a piece of advice?"  
  
"Conditionally," she stared at Julia suspiciously.   
  
"I think Billy is going to be so happy to be home with his mother, he's not going to care what he has for dinner." Julia gave her a little wink and swept out of her kitchen.  
  
Mary knew Julia was right but in the meantime, she still had a pie to bake.

* * *

**Warning: Adult Scene**

   
It was afternoon and Vin Tanner had not remembered ever spending such a prolonged period indoors or in bed for that matter. He peeked out the window and saw the morning was almost over as the sun reached its apex in the sky. Outside, the main street of this quiet town showed no more activity then when he and Alex first arrived here. It was Alex who suggested they pick this particular place for their escape from Four Corners. Not only was it half deserted and off the main travelling routes but it was also the town she liberated him from bounty hunters when he was delivered into their hands by Randall Mason.  
  
Vin liked her sense of irony.  
  
The hotel they were registered in was one of those places Vin knew to be a favourite of those who did not wish to be found, which was exactly what they were. It was by no means lavish but had a door with a lock on it and a nice big bed which was all Vin and Alex wanted or needed. For the past two days, neither had come up for air as they indulged their desires in this vacation away from their lives. For once, Vin had the thrill of waking up next to Alex and sharing and entire night in her bed without having to sneak away in the morning, for fear of inciting gossip.  
  
After the business with Francis Lamont and more recently Riley Marshall, Vin decided they needed to recover from the trials of the last few months. Alex had been through something of an emotional time and though she was now on the mend, Vin felt the time away from being Doctor Styles would do her some good. Thus as far as Four Corners knew, the doctor was going to Sweetwater for a few days and he was heading out to the Indian Village to visit with Kojay and Chano.  Besides, they knew he preferred soaking up the solitude denied him in the lively atmosphere of town. Alex left first and Vin let a day pass before they met up at the arranged place so they could journey here together.

He watched her sleep, basking in the loveliness of her as she dreamed all things wonderful he hoped. It was still a source of astonishment to him to know he was engaged to a woman like her. Alexandra Styles was a true lady in every sense of the word and yet she was willing to accept him for what he was, even though he had no fortune to speak of and a price on his head. He knew before there could be any question of marriage, he would have to deal with his ongoing situation in  Tascosa.  
  
Still it was nice to know she was his.  
  
Alex lay within the sheets next to him, oblivious to his observations and Vin felt the familiar tingle of arousal as he took in the sight of her body, separated from his touch by a thin layer of cotton. She was lying on her stomach, dark hair covering most of her face when Vin nuzzled closer to her as another wave of desire took control of him. Vin brushed aside her tousled dark hair, seeking the soft skin of her neck through the strands of jet.  
  
She pushed up against him in her sleep, not at all minding his weight on top of her as she slumbered. Letting out a pleasured sigh when Vin found her neck, the tracker smiled as he lowered his mouth and started teasing her skin by tracing circles with his tongue. She was still asleep but he could feel her body responding immediately to the gentle nips he made along the length of her neck before sucking the curve where it met her shoulder.  
  
Alex moaned languidly, pressing her body further into his as he continued this seductive assault, still asleep but aware of his caresses by her dreamy responses to him. Vin's hand slid in the space between her breast and the soft mattress, searching for the nipple pressing hard against the linen. He enjoyed the journey there, savouring the soft round warmth beneath his palm, the supple curve of her breast and the texture of skin pulling taut against muscle. He felt her sharp intake of breath as he kneaded the ripe flesh, teasing her nipple until it tightened with aching pleasure she could feel, even in this dreamy state. Unconsciously, her back arched slightly into him so he could take up her whole breast.  
  
Vin grunted softly at the feel of her in his hand. The sensation was strong enough to send waves of heat rippling through his arms and continuing all the way down to his cock. He felt himself stiffen with growing need as he continued caressing her this way, thrilling in the soft sounds she made each time he did something that touched her in just the right way. He kneaded her flesh harder, drawing pleasured moans from her as she started to come out of her sleep.  
  
Plucking her taut nipples mercilessly between his finger tips, Alex started moving beneath him, trying to grind her body into his. Vin closed his eyes, feeling the arousal building in his hardening cock as Alex writhed under him, the firm flesh of her bottom pushing into the hard ridge of his manhood. It strained for stimulation and before he even knew it, he was rubbing himself against her, relishing the feel of her skin against him while the swollen head of his erection started pushing against the inside of her thighs.  
  
"Can I do something for you cowboy?" She mumbled, coming out of her sleep almost purring.  
  
"Whatever you want darlin'," he smiled and continued kissing her neck, moving to her shoulders before showering her bronzed skin with light kisses. Alex purred in delight as his other hand journeyed down her side to her hip. Vin loved the feel of her skin under his hands, almost as much as he craved hearing the sounds of pleasure escaping her.  
  
"I could take this for a few more hours." Alex smiled as she pushed herself against him, feeling a wicked gush of moisture between her legs at the sensation of his chest against her bare back. She could feel his cock pressing into her, demanding entry as his hips involuntarily thrust against her.  
  
His kisses had become more fervent now as his desire building steadily in the erection making itself felt so prolifically between her legs. Alex parted her thighs slightly, immediately allowing him to run his shaft along the heat of her damp sex.  
  
The sudden slide against the length of his cock made Vin pause a moment as the pleasure of it forced a small groan from him.

"Jesus." He whispered and felt his hips moving of their accord as he pushed against the velvet folds but not far enough to penetrate. As he slid up and down, he could feel her moistening with each delicious stroke, until she was very silent and her breaths were little more than shallow gasps of anticipation. Vin positioned himself so his cock would make contact with her clit and pushed again.  
  
"Oh Vin." She whispered as she felt him tease that tiny pearl of flesh as he ran his shaft against it. The sensation made her buck against him and he squeezed her breast with renewed intensity as his own desires gripped him with similar abandon.  
  
Vin was covered in her juices now and the need to enter her was so overwhelming he could barely stand it. He left her breast and moved both hands to her hips, sliding down her sides with a firm descent so that she could feel every inch of his journey in the rough calluses of his palms. When he reached the curve of her waist, he slid his hand underneath her belly until he reached the thatch of dark hair. Sliding past her wet thighs, he relished the musk of her arousal in his nostrils as he explored her moist folds. Gently, inserting a finger inside her, Vin groaned immediately at the feel of wet and tight muscle enveloping him upon entry.  
  
"God." She whimpered, her hips pushing into his hand as he strained to plunge his fingers as deeply into her as he could. Quivering flesh enveloped his insistent digits, promising him all kinds of pleasure as he pressed his fingers within the passage his cock would soon invade. Her hips started to lift slightly off the bed, attempting to give him more access to her until the texture of her round bottom, grinding against his pelvis was enough to drive him insane with hunger.  
  
"Get on your knees," he whispered huskily, his blue eyes dark with feral need.  
  
"Yes." She whimpered softly, moaning with disappoinment when he drew away from her to allow the movement. She did not wish for his hand to stop what it was doing to her body but she was burning with need for him now. Alex wanted to feel him inside her, perfectly aware of how wonderful he would be when he started fucking her hard and savagely.  
  
Vin felt his cock impossibly harden when he drew back and saw her raising herself upon her hands and knees, offering him a full view of her sex as she did so. He wanted to be inside her so badly he could not even wait before he was up against her, forcing himself through the silky folds. As the head of his cock penetrated the tight ring of wet flesh, Vin had to hold onto her hips or else he would have completely lost control and forced himself into her brutally. His need for her was such now it was driving the sense from his world.  
  
"Jesus, you feel good." He groaned as he pushed into her, enjoying every inch of flesh coaxing him further and further inside.  
  
Alex was moaning incorehently as he made his invasion, parting her legs wider, feeling as if he could never be deep enough inside her as she pushed down hard, until what care he was taking was washed away in the totality of complete penetration. She heard him groan as he was embedded inside her, until his hips was pressed hard against her bottom and she could feel the weight of his semen engorged sacs bouncing against her flesh. His hands dug into her hips with such force she was almost aroused by the pain. Their lust had become almost animalistic in its intensity.  
  
"Harder Vin," she gasped. "Harder."  
  
Her plea was so raw and full of need it almost undid his control. He felt a gush of fluid escape him in the arousal from those three words. He was more than happy to oblige her because the sensation of her all around him was beyond belief. He was somewhat amazed he had not begun a frantic fit of furious thrusting because his cock was so hard and bursting he did not know how much longer he could have maintain his control. Pulling her hips forcefully into his throbbing member, he began pumping her hard, his own gyrations making this melding of flesh into a dance of brutal pleasure.  
  
Sweet Jesus, Vin thought inwardly as the sensation washed over him. The intense pressure of her inner muscles was crushing his cock into submission with each hard thrust into her body. He pounded her with such relentless force, before he even knew what was happening, Vin was groaning her name through his gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh God Vin, don't stop!" She whimpered and threw her head back, her dark hair splaying across her back, intermingling with the sweat of her skin.  
  
Vin saw the cascade of jet before him, a stark contrast against her golden coloured skin and immediately felt himself pumping even harder, until the pleasure of her was so unbelievable all he could do in response was to hold on and enjoy the ride. He rode her hard and fast, knowing despite her lady like manner, she liked to be handled rough. Without ever knowing how he had managed to be so fortunate, Vin knew he had a wildcat in his bed.  
  
He slammed into her again, his cock reaching such heights of ecstasy neither it nor him was going to recover for a good while after this incredible session. Judging with Alex's whimpers, he could tell that she was very close and rammed into her with continued force until he could go no deeper. The sensation that came from being completely sheathed was more than he could bear, forcing him to bury his face in the sheen of her jet coloured hair.  
  
Suddenly, he felt her stiffen under him. Her back straightening like an animal that had awoken from a deep sleep and felt the need to stretch out. All sense left his mind when her wet insides contracted around his cock in a powerful display of orgasmic pre-eminence. She cried out his name like she was in worship, as if the word chanted would make her plunge over the abyss of pleasure all the more powerful. He felt her warmth sweep over him and that it would take whatever control he had with it.  
  
"Oh Christ!" He groaned, feeling himself explode inside her until all he could see before him were stars amidst a canvas of jet. His body spasmed as he continued pumping into her, forcing Alex to accept every last drop of seed until finally he collapsed against her body, bathing them both in each other's perspiration. For a moment, he could do nothing but remained draped over her, trying to catch his breath from yet another affirmation of why he could never be without her.

They lay there still for a few seconds, holding each other as they recovered, their bodies pressed against each other. Vin rubbed the rough stubble of his cheek against the smooth skin of her back and felt Alex wriggle.  
  
"Stop it." She tried to suppress a laugh. "That tickles."  
  
Vin repeated the action again and drew another sharp giggle from her. "I hadn't noticed." He smiled.  
  
"Stop it," she laughed again and squirmed from under him. "That drives me crazy."  
  
"Well then," he said with a devilishly grin. "I'll just have to keep doing it."  
  
With that, he covered his body with hers and filled the room with their playful laughter.

* * *

  
"Is the stage here yet?" Chris asked when he met Mary in front of the Clarion office later that day.

His fiancee was pacing the boardwalk in front of the premises, looking every bit as impatient as he knew she was feeling. Chris tried not to smile as he saw Mary attempting to look normal even though she was bursting with impatience over the impending arrival of her son. This was something he had become accustomed to seeing throughout the months of their courtship. Billy's arrival was the only thing that could make Mary Travis heady to such an extent.  
  
"No," she glanced at the small watch she had been keeping in her pocket. "Its ten minutes late." She said unhappily as she glanced up the main street once more, to see if the stagecoach had appeared on the horizon since the last time she looked thirty seconds ago. "This tardiness is most unacceptable." She grumbled with her hands on her hips and continued pacing. People were starting to look at her curiously as they passed by and reacted only by throwing Chris a sympathetic glance as they continued on their way.  
  
"Mary you're going to wear a hole in the ground." Chris pointed out. "Relax."  
  
"I can't relax!" She exclaimed, knowing he could not possibly understand how she was feeling at this moment. There were butterflies in her stomach at the thought of having her son home permanently, not just for a few days or weeks but forever! She was so happy she could barely form the words but this wait was driving her insane! "Where is that damn stage! I want my son!"  
  
Chris raised a brow at her tantrum and found himself unable to contain the smile that sneaked past his lips almost involuntarily. Mary noticed it and narrowed her eyes, realizing he was having some amusement at her expense. She was about to open her mouth and reply when the timely arrival of Ezra, Josiah, Buck and JD saved him from any bloodshed. Mary was in that kind of mood right now but she tended to keep her temper from public view unless absolutely necessary.  
  
"I take it young William has yet to arrive." Ezra stated the obvious.   
  
"Good to see you out from behind the bar." Chris responded, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.  
  
Ezra glared at him. "Inez has finally liberated me from that tiresome chore. Apparently, the wedding of the century can take a break for the rest of the day."  
  
"Thank goodness," Mary sighed, glad that for today anyway, she would not have any flower arrangements to preside over, any dinner plate patterns to select and furthermore, any talk of the bridal shower Inez intended on throwing her. All she was interested in today was her son.  
  
"The hard work is just too much for him." Josiah commented, giving Ezra a bemused look.  
  
"I told you once and I shall it again reiterate again, a gentlemen does not perform menial labour." Ezra pointed out in the dignified way that only Ezra could do. "I just hope you and Mrs Travis appreciate the sacrifice some of us have been forced to make for your coming nuptials.  
  
"I'll keep you in mind when I write the thank you cards." Mary said rolling her eyes in resignation wondering how Julia put up with the man sometimes. Still, Julia's personality lent well to Ezra's southern gentlemen persona and Mary was sure the woman humored him a great deal.  
  
"Don't worry Ezra," Buck grinned. "It will be all worth it when I throw the bachelor party."  
  
"Bachelor party?" Mary turned slowly to Chris with an expression on her face revealing she was not at all enthusiastic about his having a stag party. She heard what commonly went on at these affairs to know she did not want Chris hung over on the day of their wedding.  
  
"Nice going Buck." Chris grimaced, noting the frown that suddenly developed on his future wife's face.  
  
"Don't worry Mary," Buck stepped forward, quick to defend his friend and his stag night. "It will be perfectly respectable, even my mother would be proud to attend." He oozed charm as he tried to convince her nothing sleazy would be taking place even though it was an outright lie that neither Mary nor any of the seven believed.  
  
"I'll believe that when I see it." Josiah remarked, giving Chris and Ezra a knowing look. If Buck could do anything with complete expertise, it was to organize celebrations that included plenty of libations and all the vices to make it an evening to remember. Of course, such parties would give any potential groom much cause for consternation with all the temptations that would undoubtedly be present on the night.  
  
"Stage is here!" JD announced and immediately moved everyone's attention from what was possibly an incendiary subject.  
  
As they made their way to the stage depot, Mary easily outdistanced them as she hurried forward, raising her skirts so it would not hamper her swift approach. The stage rumbled into Four Corners, trailing a small cloud of dust as it travelled through the outskirts of town and meandered into the main street. Mary felt her heart pounding with excitement, oblivious to the men who were attempting to keep up with her as she strode purposefully along the boardwalk.  
  
By the time she reached the depot, the stage had already pulled up and the driver had alighted and was preparing to open the door for the passengers.  
  
Unsurprisingly, it was Billy who bundled out of the carriage first, even before the driver could swing the door open completely. The long confinement during the journey had strained his youthful patience to such an extent he was extremely grateful to be free of it as he hurried out of the Concord, in search of the mother who was no doubt waiting for him like she always did.  
  
"Billy!" Mary called out happily and the boy ran straight into her arms as mother and son exchanged a warm and happy embrace of greeting.  
  
"Let me look at you," Mary said trying not to let her emotions get the better of her as she spoke. Every time she saw him, it just felt as if it was years since he had been gone. Upon observation, she noted he had grown a little taller and he was in need of a haircut but other than that he was still her little boy and that alone was enough to make Mary forget everything else.  
  
"Is it true ma?" Billy asked enthusiastically. "Am I home to stay?"  
  
"Yes," she said delighted he was happy about this. "You don't have to go back." There had been a moment of darkness when Mary considered the possibility Billy may not want to leave his friends and grandparents in Eagle Bend. After all, Eagle Bend had so many things Four Corners did not and she worried bringing him home would just make him miserable.  
  
"And I can go to school here?" He questioned further.  
  
"When school opens." Mary nodded and her response was rewarded with another warm hug from her son that just about broke her resolve to keep from crying. She looked up to see Chris approach with a smile on his face he rarely showed anyone. This one was real and was mostly reserved for those occasions when Billy came home.  
  
"Hey pardner." Chris greeted the boy as Mary disengaged herself from him and ran towards the gunslinger.  
  
"Hi Chris!" Billy grinned, staring at the tall man in black with nothing less than adoration as he ran to Chris and hugged him with just as much affection as he had done to his mother. Chris had dropped to his knees to hug the boy back, showing his comrades a side of him rarely displayed except when in the presence of this child.  
  
The next few minutes were a chorus of greetings and ruffled hair as Billy was offered warm salutations from all the lawmen present who were just as enamored with Mary's young son as Chris Larabee himself. In a way, though none would admit it, they all felt warmly towards the boy and felt some measure of responsibility for the child as they did for his mother. Ever since they arrived in Four Corners, each one of them had adopted Billy in one fashion or another and the young Master Travis could always be counted to be in their company whenever he was home from school.  
  
It was Ezra who noticed the other passenger that alighted from the stage.  
  
"Oh my Lord." He said with wide eyes, watching the young woman who climbed out of the stagecoach with nothing more than a wrapped bundle as her luggage. He recognized her immediately of course. After all, the part she played in their lives during those turbulent days on the trail had left an impression that time could not dispel no matter how much of it hurtled by.  
  
"Mrs Travis, is that who I think it is?" Ezra asked, calling their attention to the new arrival's presence.  
  
"What?" Mary asked as she followed Ezra's gaze and looked over her shoulder. Her mind was still wrapped in euphoria over her son's arrival so she did not realize immediately what had captured his attention until she concentrated. When she did, it made her stop short in astonishment at the sight of the familiar face.  
  
The woman let her hazel eyes sweep over the area, taking in her new surroundings while at the same time, collecting herself after her long journey. She brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes as she adjusted her straw hat on her head before her line of sight shifted in their direction. It took an instant longer before those eyes came to rest upon then and their faces registered in her memory. Recognition flooded her face immediately and she broke into a wide smile as she made her way towards them.  
  
"Mary, its me Charlotte, Charlotte Richmond." She announced upon reaching them, as if any introductions was necessary.

"I remember," Mary smiled politely, still somewhat surprised at seeing this face from their recent past. "How are you Charlotte?"  
  
It was difficult to not remember Charlotte Richmond after her illicit affair with Vin Tanner during the time the seven was required to escort a wagon train further west. Vin who until that point had very little experience with women, had fallen head over heels in love with Charlotte whose relations with her husband were strained. While Mary thought Charlotte was merely using Vin to forget her marital troubles, the tracker had taken the relationship very seriously and was prepared to throw everything away just to be with her. The subsequent affair had damaged Chris and Vin's friendship for a time and strained relations between the seven as nothing had done before.  
  
Fortunately, Vin had come to his senses and dissolved the affair by sending Charlotte back to her husband after a brief flight and neutralized a situation that was on the fast track to becoming explosive. The affair left the tracker sullen withdrawn for quite some time as he came to grips with losing the first love he ever had. Secretly, both Chris and Mary were of the firm belief Charlotte had merely taken advantage of Vin's inexperience for her gratification.  
  
"I'm fine," Charlotte said breathlessly completely unaware Mary did not think much of her for the injury she caused Vin. Instead, her eyes searched the faces of the men behind Mary, seeking one in particular only to find he was not present. "I'm in town for a few days. I thought I would catch up with Vin while I'm here. Is he in town?" She asked, forcing her voice to sound as nonchalant as possible even though Mary saw through the ruse easily enough. Charlotte had come to Four Corners specifically for Vin and nothing else.  
  
"Chris?" Mary looked to her fiancee with some help as to what she ought to say to Charlotte considering Vin's situation at present. She wanted to blurt out Vin was no longer free and Charlotte should leave the young man alone considering there was someone else in his life but it was not her place to make that decision. It was Vin's.  
  
The gunslinger fidgeted uncomfortably, gripped with the same conflict running through Mary's head at this moment. Like Mary, he was wrestling with whether or not it was his business to tell Charlotte that Vin was not only attached to someone else, he was also engaged. Chris cleared his throat and finally made the safest response he could think of since he was unwilling to do anything until he spoke to Vin and heard it from the tracker how he wished to handle things.  
  
"He's out of town." He said abruptly, revealing in no uncertain terms he was unhappy to see her. Charlotte had brought Vin a great deal of pain by playing with his affections the way she had. Like Mary, Chris knew Charlotte's reason for coming to Four Corners involved his best friend.  
  
"Oh." Charlotte said with clear disappointment before she was aware of the eyes watching her closely. She knew Chris Larabee had not approved of her relationship with Vin and the lack of his understanding contributed to Vin making the decision she ought to return to her husband. She returned his piercing gaze with a hard look of her own, unwilling to let his imposing manner keep her from what she wanted.  
  
Vin was no one's creature and he loved her. The choice was always his to make, not Chris Almighty Larabee's. Recovering quickly, Charlotte shrugged off the stares of the men before her and decided there was nothing to be done until Vin returned to Four Corners and she was certain they would be no help to her.  
  
"Well, could you please tell him that I'm in town when he does get back? I'll be staying at the hotel for awhile." She gestured to the establishment as she spoke. With no further reason to linger, Charlotte decided that it was wiser to depart. "I guess I'll be seeing you around town." She said with a small smile before sweeping out of their presence as suddenly as she had stepped into it.  
  
For a few seconds after her departure, no one spoke.  
  
Finally it was Billy who broke the silence. Youth spared him from knowing the history of the woman who had just appeared before them. "Can we go home now ma?" He asked looking up at Mary and oblivious to the shock currently running across the faces of his older companions.  
  
"Absolutely," Mary nodded, still staring after Charlotte who was continuing down the boardwalk towards Heidegger’s. It took a further second for Mary to free herself from the distraction before she remembered her son once again.  
  
"Are you hungry Billy?" She asked as she started to lead him away from the stage back to the house.  
  
"Grandma gave me sandwiches," he informed her dutifully. "But I didn't like them much."  
  
"Never mind," Mary said brushing a strand of blond hair out of his face. "I got some afternoon lunch ready for you." She smiled and then regarded the men who had been very silent following their encounter with Charlotte. "If you gentlemen would like to join us, I have plenty." It was more or less a forgone conclusion Chris would accept but Mary knew home cooked meals were somewhat of a luxury for the others.  
  
"Much obliged Madam." Ezra finally responded, shaking thoughts of Charlotte Richmond out of his head as he looked at Mary.  
  
"You go on ahead," Chris replied. "We'll join you shortly."  
  
Mary nodded and continued towards home with Billy at her side. Chris could not help but let a jaded smile steal across his face as he saw the mother and son walking down the boardwalk, hand in hand as they spoke in the language outsiders could never grasp. Chris recalled how he used to watch Sarah and Adam do the same thing, lost in their own world and felt a profound feeling of gratitude at having them back again in Mary and Billy.  
  
After a moment, he turned to his companions who were still rather silent in light of Charlotte's arrival at Four Corners. In their eyes, he saw the same thing he was feeling at the woman's unexpected presence in town. Even though it was none of his business really, he immediately felt concern Charlotte's presence in Four Corners was going to complicate things considerably for Vin when he finally did return from his little vacation with Alex.  
  
"You know something?" Buck asked no one in particular.  
  
"What?" JD responded since no one else did.  
  
"Vin is in for a world of trouble." Buck stated firmly and sadly no one could disagree. 


	3. Encounters

They called it the Ranch.  
  
It had no other name nor did it require one. There are places that are simply known, branded in the awareness without ever needing to have its name uttered. People in town knew where it was even if they never had reason to visit its premises. It existed as a place of notoriety even though the more upstanding members of the community would never make a move to remove it. Men, young and old had a chance to visit the establishment at one point or another, leaving the moral contingent of the community fuming in impotent dislike.  
  
He had never been to the town but found it no different than any other existing in the Territory. Like every boomtown emerging across the West, this one rose from the prosperity of the rural community.  
  
Prosperous farmers and ranchers brought with them businesses offering opportunity abound. While it was a long way from being urbanized, there was enough buildings and people walking up and down the streets to ensure it would survive, even when times were lean.  
  
It was just the kind of town that needed a place like the Ranch to give it spice.  
  
He despised such communities because the idea of being shackled to one place was odious to a man like him. Freedom to him, was the ability to pick up and leave at a moment's notice, where he could roam the plains like some untamed spirit. In his line of work it was wise to live this way, for enemies were quick to exploit the weakness that came with family and friends. He had none to speak of, merely associates and he kept those at arm's length and used them only when necessary.  
  
Until three days ago, he was enjoying the excesses of wine, women and song at Eagle Bend, indulging in all the vices that made life worth living, during the periods before meeting yet another client. His services were often in demand and his reputation was spoken of mostly in the shadows. He was very good at what he did, mostly because he moved unseen through his assignments, taking care to maintain his anonymity. As a result, he never failed to carry out a job and no client ever walked away disappointed. 

It took some doing to be able to maintain a record with such impeccability but when the Jack of all Spades gave his word that a thing would be done, invariably it would happen. He never reneged on the promise of a contract and this reputation assured his would be clientele. On this occasion however, he was surprised by a neatly folded note slipped under his door. The message was intriguing and he debated whether this was not some trap set by an enterprising lawman with a penchant for theatrics.  
  
For a day, he did nothing with the information at his disposal and the more he waited, the deeper his curiosity became until finally, he saddled his horse and left Eagle Bend bound for the destination he was provided.  
  
The Ranch, in Willow's End.  
  
It was not difficult to find the Ranch once he arrived in the town of Willow's End. Everyone seemed to know it and those who were not embarrassed to speak of it, gave him good directions. The Ranch was located on the edge of town, situated on a particularly large spread of land on top of a hill. The house reminded him of those grand mansions found in New Orleans. It was certainly large enough to have such pedigree. However in a town like this, such a house had only one source of income.  
  
The girls greeting him as he walked up the cobble stone path to the steps leading to the wide main porch, were definitely of a better standard than others he had seen in similar establishments. They were clean and well dressed, appearing not at all like soiled doves but girls one might see at a Sunday church picnic. There were no signs of garish paints or exposed pantalets, no breasts oozing out of overly tight corsets in a blatant advertisement of goods. The best word he could use to describe them was 'tasteful'.  
  
They looked like women a man might call on to take to a dance or a stroll. He began to understand why this 'house' had the success it did. When he spoke to the ladies, he discovered he was expected. Not him specifically, but a man was going to pay a call on the owner and proprietor of the Ranch. Once inside, he found the interior or the house was as ambiguous as the rest of the place. The front hall looked like it belonged to an exclusive girl's school, not a bordello.

He was shown in by a girl who was young enough to ensure some client would pay a fortune to bed her, to the person who summoned him.  
  
She awaited him in her parlour, having obviously heard of his inquiries in town and was more than prepared for him by the time he arrived. Tea sat in waiting as he was shown to a comfortable wing chair, giving him a sweeping view of the town and the land surrounding it from a bay window. He took the time to examine her as she asked him politely if he would like sugar.  
  
She was not as young as the others in her charge but for a Madam, she certainly did not wear the worn look most were known to have. She was still quite a beauty. Her dark gold hair hung loose and her green eyes sparkled with hidden depths. She dressed modestly in a dress with floral prints with one pearl encrusted clip to hold some unruly strands of hair out of her face. She did not look at him as she poured the tea, nor did she make any effort to speak. The more he looked at her, the more intrigued he became.  
  
"Your tea Sir," She said with a smile and presented the fine china cup to him.  
  
"Thank you Miss." He returned politely.  
  
"My name is Ella, Ella Gaines." She smiled before taking a sip from her own cup and waited for him to do so before continuing. "I must thank you in indulging me this audience. I am aware of how you like to maintain your privacy."  
  
"Thank you Miss Gaines." He responded. "May I inquire as to how you came to be aware of me?"  
  
She smiled, anticipating the question. "In my line of business, it is easy to pick up things. In your case, I heard nothing more than whispers I never paid much attention to. I do know you have a most impressive reputation for getting the job done and you've never failed in a contract. I require such efficiency. The man who used to take care of these things for me is no longer available so I must look to other agents."  
  
"I see." He nodded in understanding. "And how did you learn that I was in Eagle Bend?"  
  
"I heard the name Jack of Spades mentioned in conjunction with Eagle Bend and I took a gamble you might be there. I have contacts in that town who were able to narrow down a list of candidates so I sent invitations to all." She paused and met his eyes. "You are the only one who answered."  
  
"I might not be him then." He remarked. "I could be anyone."  
  
"I trust my instincts you are the man." She said with a smile. "I rely upon them to keep myself and my girls from harm. They are seldom wrong."  
  
"Alright," he conceded the point, deciding she had summoned him here for a reason and in matters of such business, he preferred to have the negotiations concluded as quickly as possible. "You have called me and I am here. This is how it will go. You have told me you have need of my services, I will hear the details and then I will give you a price. There will be no negotiation and you will pay me half first and the rest on completion. Is that clear?"  
  
"It is clear."  
  
"Now," he eased back into the wing chair. "What do you wish me to do?"  
  
"Only after you hear my demands." She said firmly, leaning forward in her chair and penetrating his gaze with her icy coloured eyes. Her cordial persona disappeared at that moment, to be replaced by something darker. Menace reflected in her eyes.  Despite his ability to maintain his own rock solid demeanour, the sudden change caused an involuntary shudder down his spine.  
  
"I am waiting."  
  
"First of all, there are two targets and I want them both taken care of. There is no negotiation on this point. You will kill them before the date I will provide you with and I am to be present when it is done. They must know why they are dying. I want the pleasure of telling them."  
  
He had no difficulty with that request. It was not unusual although the vehemence in her voice begged the question of what wrong this woman suffered for there should be so much venom in her demand?

"That can be arranged. Will I encounter opposition?"  
  
"Yes," she answered automatically. "The targets are protected by seven men. They are devoted and very good at what they do. They will rather die than let the targets be killed. There is one among them named Chris Larabee." She met his eyes again. "Under no circumstances is any harm to come to him. Is that clear?"  
  
"Chris Larabee, the gunslinger?" He asked, recognizing the name.  
  
"You know him?" She responded, uncertainty entering her features at the possibility this man might know Chris and the reputation Chris now held as one of the most formidable gunslingers and now lawmen in the Territory. She wanted the best and this man by reputation alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of those who were aware of his existence. Now that Cletus Fowler was gone, she needed someone with his lethal expertise. Ella would not be satisfied with anyone else. To kill Mary Travis, she would not accept second best.  
  
"I know of him." He replied, recalling the stories he heard. There were always stories flying about the West about men with fast draws, who robbed, killed and lived a whole plethora of adventures keeping tongues wagging forever. "He's supposed to be very, very good. I may have to factor this in to my price."   
  
"He _is_ very good." Ella Gaines agreed. "But you are still not to harm him. You may kill anyone else you wish, but not him. The others will protect him with the same loyalty as the targets, but I gather you can do something to expedite matters."  
  
"I have my ways." He said quietly, ruminating on what those methods might be. Chris Larabee's reputation was one of the most consistent in the Territory. He knew the gunslinger had dropped out for a time but reclaimed his fearsome notoriety in the past three years. Larabee was known to have a soft side so he also had his share of supporters as well as enemies. Once again, the man known as the Jack of Spades was curious over Ella Gaines's connection to Chris Larabee.  
  
On that note, he looked at Ella again after the momentary lapse. "Now you will name the target."  
  
"The targets are nothing extraordinary," she remarked stiffly, almost as if she disliked speaking of them or describing them in any detail. He did not care. If she wanted his services then he insisted on full disclosure of all information at her disposal.  
  
"Her name is Mary Travis." Ella finally revealed. "She is in residence at a town called Four Corners, it's in the Territory. It is also where you will find Chris Larabee and his six protectors. She will be relatively easy to find. The woman is the editor of the local newspaper. I want her and her son removed."  
  
He looked up at her. "Son?"  
  
"Yes," Ella replied, feeling a wave of hatred towards Mary Travis, who was stealing her Chris with her brat. What did it take for Chris to learn children were simply ruses utilized by their widowed mothers to snare men like him? Ella thought the lesson he learned after she was forced to kill Sarah and Adam would be enough to steer him away from such circumstances again. However, Ella loved Chris enough to know he was not the most intelligent of men and so she had to make allowances for his weaknesses.

After all, was that not what love was about?

"The boy is eight years old. I want them both killed."  
  
The coldness of her words as she made the statement explained a great many things to him as he understood at last, what Ella Gaines was all about. He had come across jealous wives before and this woman was nothing different. However, wanting to take the life of  the child involved in the triangle, took true malevolence. He wondered what Larabee had done to provoke such hatred.  
  
"They are to be married in less than a week." Ella continued, further confirming his suspicions of her reasoning behind the contract. "I want her killed before the wedding. She will not walk down the aisle with Chris Larabee.  I want you to see to that Sir." She glared at him fiercely so that he would not mistake just how determined she was on this point.  
  
"If that is what you wish and if we come to an agreement upon the price for my services, I assure you it will not happen."   
  
"Good," she said calming down slightly, as if embarrassed by the display of emotions. "I am sure we can come to an equitable conclusion."  
  
"Might I offer a word of advice?" He found himself saying, not knowing why he was interfering or even cared. Perhaps because in all the jobs he had taken to end someone's life abruptly, this was the one had the least justification. Perhaps, this woman and her anger could be reasoned with.  
  
"If you like." Ella sipped her tea and regarded him with mild surprise.  
  
"If Larabee finds out you are responsible for this crime and I think he might if you stand to gain most by it, do you think that he could forgive such a trespass or shift his affections to you?"  
  
"He loves me Sir," she smiled, with a gleam in her eyes that made him everything then. "He loves me more than anything in the world and he will forgive me as he always has. For certain, he'll be angry for awhile but in the end, he'll know I did it all for him. As I have always done it for him."  
  
He fell silent, almost feeling some measure of pity for Chris Larabee because he knew now with absolute certainty, Ella Gaines and her uncontrollable passion for the gunslinger, was insane.

* * *

  
Billy Travis stared at his mother.  
  
He listened to her explain after Chris and the others left the house, how she would soon be marrying the gunslinger. For a moment, the boy did not know how to take the news. Sure, he liked Chris very much and loved him as he loved no other since his father died but Billy was uncertain whether or not he wanted Chris to replace Stephen Travis. Chris was his friend and they did things together not even his father had time to do with him. Billy was not so young he had forgotten all the lonely dinners where it was just him and his ma, because his father had not the time. His father was a busy man and Billy assumed by natural extension all fathers were like that.

If Chris became his stepfather, would not Chris be the same?  
  
Billy had also become accustomed to hearing his ma tell him he was the man of the house. At school, he knew he had to behave well because that was what she told him to do. The man of the house had to be responsible and so he did all these things for her because she was his ma and he loved her. Billy wanted to be the man of the house so he could take care of her some day. All this time, he assumed Chris was taking care of her until the day he grew up and he could do it himself. He never for a moment imagined there was more going on than just that. It now appeared to the young boy his best friend had betrayed him.  
  
"Billy say something." Mary pleaded as she looked across him at the dining table. The expression on his face was one of dismay and she felt her heart pounding in her chest because she assumed there would be no problem. Billy adored Chris and Mary believed he would love having Chris at home on a permanent basis, just as she did.  
  
"You said I was the man of the house." He said in a small voice, his eyes screaming fear in every word that left his quivering lips.  
  
"Of course you are," Mary exclaimed, feeling her heart sink as she started to realize the extent of the problem.  
  
"No I'm not!" He shouted. "If you marry Chris, then he's the man of the house and he won't be my friend any more and you won't be just my ma! You'll be his wife!"  
  
"Billy please!" Mary said mortified, watching a bad situation quickly descending into a terrible one. How could she have made such a mistake about his feelings? She had assumed...  
  
That was her mistake.  
  
She had just _assumed_. She never sat the boy down and actually had this conversation with him. Mary reeled from despair as she saw the tears starting to run down his pink cheeks, knowing it was her foolishness that caused her son to cry. The sight of his tear stained face felt like a thousand knives stabbing at her heart. It almost brought her to the verge of tears herself.  
  
"I hate him and I hate you!" He cried out again, screaming in anger as only a child could, oblivious to everything except the pain weighing him down and making him feel like the end of the world was one word.  
  
_Wedding_.  
  
Without saying anything further, he darted out of the room. Mary collected herself enough to go after him, almost knocking a chair over as she ran past the dining table but not quite quick enough to catch an eight year old who had no desire to be reasoned with. She had no more reached the hallway when she heard the sharp slam of the front door and his small footsteps, drawing further and further across the gravel in the street outside.  
  
Mary swung open the door in pursuit but by the time she scanned the faces on the street, going indifferently about their business, horses moving up and down the street on their way from one place to another, she saw no sign of her son.  
  
"Billy!" Mary called out in desperation, hoping perhaps he might answer her. People glanced at her in curiosity but that was as much response as she received until she saw Chris emerging from the saloon. He looked towards the direction of the Clarion, their eyes meeting ,instantly and conveying the message something was wrong.  
  
"Mary, what's happened?" He asked, unable to imagine what could have transpired in the half hour since he left the house to join the rest of the seven at the saloon for a drink. He could see she was distraught and knew something awful had taken place.  
  
"Its Billy!" She wailed. "Oh Chris, he is so angry with me! It never occurred to me he might have a problem with the wedding!"  
  
Chris understood and immediately took her hand so they could continue this conversation inside. This was not something that needed discussing with the town in earshot. Besides, she was too upset to think clearly with so much activity taking place around them. They returned to the dining room where only moments ago, Billy Travis made such an abrupt departure. Mary sat heavily in the chair, shock still etched in her lovely face.  
  
"Tell me." Chris urged, hating to think they might have a problem with Billy.  
  
Mary wiped her eyes and composed herself, trying not to cry like some foolish woman even though she felt like one. "He said I wouldn't be his ma any more if I married you. I'd be your wife. Chris, he thinks he's losing both of us if we get married!"  
  
Chris let out a deep sigh and eased back into the chair, trying to think a way out of this particular situation. In truth, he was slightly annoyed Mary had not told Billy about them sooner, so the kid could at least get used to the idea instead of having it sprung on him a few days before the wedding was to take place. However, he kept silent knowing in the end, Billy was Mary's son and he had no right to tell her what to do when it came to his upbringing. Nor was this the moment for an 'I told you so'.

"Do you want to call it off?" He asked quietly.  
  
Mary met his gaze and saw he was serious. "Of course not!" She exclaimed and was somewhat surprised she was able to be so absolute about that. "We've waited long enough for this Chris. I want to marry you," she took his face in her hands. "I just don't know what to do about Billy."  
  
"Mary, he's young." Chris responded, kissing her palm gently. "It's also been you and him for a long time. It's hard for a kid Billy's age to understand things have to change and a lot of what's going on in his mind is not clear, in the way we know it. We just gotta talk to him and try and understand what he thinks is going to happen."  
  
Mary nodded, wondering if it was truly as simple as that. "You think that will do it?" She asked, hoping he was right because Mary could not even think of that terrible exchange between herself and Billy only a short time ago.  
  
She loved her son but she also loved Chris and it was time for them to get married. As much as Billy might not like the idea now, she knew he loved Chris too. He was just afraid.  
  
"I don't know." Chris confessed, making no promises. "We'll have to convince him nothing will change. Billy is a smart kid. He'll figure it out eventually, we just have to give him time."  
  
Mary swallowed, wiping the fresh tears that formed in her eyes. "How did you get to be such an authority on child rearing?"  
  
Chris looked and her and mere replied. "After all these years riding with Buck? Where do you think?" He grinned, trying to coax a smile out of her face.  
  
It succeeded and she laughed softly, feeling a little better although not much. She knew she would not feel better about anything until this situation was resolved. Mary was feeling incredibly short sighted for not foreseeing this problem earlier and now that it had presented itself, hopes things would transpire as smoothly as Chris believed it would.

* * *

  
Billy Travis kicked a rock that came across his path. It skittered across the gravel ground and disappeared out of his line of sight. The young boy did not know where he was going, only that he wanted to keep walking until this hurt inside him went away. He felt bad for yelling at his ma but he had been unable to help himself. He just felt so angry he had not known what to do. He did not want Chris to stop being his friend and he wanted his ma to be his always, even though he knew Chris liked his ma very much.  
  
Once he stopped running, he found himself in front of the new Emporium. Despite his melancholic state, he was quite pleased he was able to read the long word and wondered what an Emporium was. As he ascended the steps leading to the front doors, he saw it was just a big store. Not knowing where else to go because Four Corners had become an alien place to him since he left for Eagle Bend, Billy wandered through the entrance, away from the heat of the afternoon sun.  
  
The inside of the Emporium was almost as large as one of the bigger stores in Eagle Bend that grandma took him to when they went shopping. There were many people, both men and women moving up and down the aisles, perusing the wares in the store. He saw shopgirls behind the counters, serving customers and wrapping things up. Billy was grateful to lose himself in the crowd, unhappy because he had shouted at his ma and wanted nothing but to be forgotten by everyone because at the moment, it was how he felt.  
  
He found himself in an aisle with hair products took note of the silver handled brushes and ornate clips on display. He reached into his pocket and examined how much money grandpa gave him for the trip here. The collection of the coins in his hand did not seem like very much and Billy frowned, thinking he probably could not even by his ma a present after the mean things he said to her.  
  
"Good afternoon Master Travis." An unfamiliar voice greeted him.  
  
He looked up to find himself staring at a most pretty lady with red hair and sparkling green eyes. Billy did not recognize her but obviously she knew him.

"I'm not suppose to talk to strangers." He said meekly.  
  
"This is my store," Julia Pemberton said with a smile, having seen the boy wandering in earlier. She had seen Billy Travis before but never had the occasion for a face to face meeting. Judging by his manner, he did not at all seem happy and considering how euphoric Mary had been about his arrival today, Julia thought she ought to at least investigate. "You have to talk to me or leave."  
  
"Do you know my ma?" He asked, suddenly aware she must have been a friend of his mother's if she knew him.  
  
"Yes I do," Julia nodded. "I'm surprised you're not with her. She's been talking about nothing but you coming home these last few weeks."  
  
"I yelled at her." His gaze dropped to the floor, in an expression of shame that involuntarily tugged at Julia's heartstrings when she thought nothing so sentimental could ever effect her.  
  
"I see." Julia nodded and started to draw away. "Come on." She motioned him to follow her.  
  
He paused a minute, still uncertain whether or not he ought to be following her because she was a stranger but if she knew his ma, that made it all right, didn't it? He followed her deeper into the store, past the aisle to the other side of the building, where there appeared to be something of a small diner and to his surprise, an ice creamery. He knew Eagle Bend had one but he did not think such treats were available in a town as small as Four Corners.  
  
"Take a seat." Julia remarked, taking a table nearest the window. The view outside was of Four Corners going about its business. He could see the saloon in the distance as well as his house where the newspaper was. Billy wondered if his ma was worried about him and then decided begrudgingly she would hardly  miss him at all now Chris was there to comfort her. He slid into the booth and saw Julia seating herself across the table from him.  
  
"What kind of ice cream do you like?"   
  
"Strawberry." He said after a moment's thought.  
  
Julia called over one of the waitresses and promptly put in the order. Billy guessed she really must owned the store because they were very nice to her and went away quickly to do what she asked. He observed her closely, noting she was very different from his ma. She looked fancier somehow and he could not imagine her skipping rocks in the creek or even wading in with him, barefoot like his ma sometimes did. That was not to say that he did not like her though. She just looked _different_.  
  
"I haven't been very polite," Julia stuck out her hand across the table. "I'm Julia Pemberton. You can call me Julia if you like."  
  
Billy shook her hand and stared at her, uncertain if he was allowed to do that. Ma was very specific about him minding his manners. "I don't know if I'm supposed to."  
  
"It will be our secret." Julia replied automatically. "I don't get much of a chance to try the ice cream here. Ezra just hates it. You know what these southerners are like, they're just not good with new things and you can't really eat ice cream alone, you know? Besides, I think he's a little too stuffy for ice cream."  
  
Billy merely listened, unable to comment on that because he had no idea what stuffy meant.  
  
"Of course, its different when they're boys," Julia continued, not expecting an answer but aware he was listening most intently. "All the important things seem to become silly and all the silly things become important."  
  
"I don't understand." He finally dared to say.  
  
Julia waited until the ice cream was served and Billy had his first taste of strawberry before she continued. "Well, it just seems like when you're younger, things that change seem a lot worse than they really are. When I was a child, I thought I knew everything about anything. It didn't matter I was only little and had a great deal of growing up to do, I knew it all. Of course, when things happened, it just felt so terrible until my father would explain change is good. It needs to happen or nothing gets better."  
  
"Why does it have to change?" He asked, finding her words striking a little close to home.   
  
"Because that's the way it is." Julia said firmly, deciding it was useless to lie to the child when what he needed to hear was the truth, not as he believed it to be or might wish it so but the way it _actually_ was. "Let me tell you something Master William," she leaned closer to him. "Life isn't fair and it doesn't always work out the way you want it too either. You can want things to stay the same forever but that just takes the fun out of it. Do you like reading the same book over and over again?"   
  
"No," he shook his head. "That's stupid. You know what happens and it's boring."  
  
"That's right." Julia nodded. "Change is like a new book, you don't know what happens but its fun to find out."  
  
He could see a little bit of what she was saying. "I yelled at my ma cause I didn't want things to change." He confessed guiltily, putting down his spoon as he made that confession.  
  
"Your mother won't be mad at you for being upset over change William." Julia said gently. "She loves you and nothing you ever do could ever make her stop loving you. Right now, I'll bet she is going out of her mind wondering what happened to you."  
  
"I got mad because she's marrying Chris." Billy looked at her, certain she would not understand either but then she had explained about change in a way that made it clearer for him to grasp. Maybe he could talk to her.  
  
"I thought you liked Chris." Julia said slightly confused. From what Ezra told her, Billy adored Chris and spent most of his time with the gunslinger whenever he returned from school.  
  
"He's my friend but if he marries my ma, he won't be any more." Billy stated as if it was something everyone should have guessed by now.  
  
"Why do you think that?" She asked, truly concerned about his dilemma.  
  
"Because my pa wasn't my friend, he was my pa. We never did what Chris and I do, going fishing and hunting. He was always working and if Chris marries ma, then he becomes like pa and we won't do stuff together any more."  
  
It made sense, Julia had to admit. If one was a child and knew nothing better, it might seem that way to him. The boy after all had been without a father for quite some time and if he thought that was how fathers were meant to behave from his limited experience, it was conceivable he would come to such conclusions. Julia wondered if Mary was aware of how neglected her son must have felt with his father to believe that ignoring a child was the way things were supposed to be.  
  
"That doesn't happen all the time William," Julia pointed out tactfully, aware of the level of trust she had gained for him to have admitted this to her. "There are many different kinds of fathers. Mine had his moments," Julia said, refraining from thinking about the darker elements of Donald Avery's parenting.  "You know Doctor Styles?"  
  
"Yes." Billy nodded, knowing the lady doctor who was one of his ma's friends.  
  
"Her father was a doctor too and they went everywhere together. He took her travelling across the world. I'll bet if you asked your mother, she can tell you stories about her father too. I'm sure when Chris and your mother marry he won't change. You'll still do all those things together. Chris loves you, you know."  
  
"That's sappy." Billy declared, reminding her he was still an eight year old boy with that one remark.  
  
Julia smiled to herself and then changed tact. "Sorry, we girls can't help it." She replied. "You know about Chris's family don't you?"  
  
Billy nodded sombrely, having heard the talk around town he was not supposed to listen to, but did anyway.  
  
"Chris lost his family a long time ago and you remind him a lot of his son. Don't you see? He never thought he could have a child again and then you came along and suddenly it doesn't hurt him so much any more because he has you. He'd never forget you William."  
  
Billy was not ready to quite believe her yet but he did feel a little better. He decided he liked Julia a great deal. Not as much as he liked his ma or grandparents but he liked sitting here with her, eating ice cream and having her talk to him like he was not a little kid who did not know anything. Maybe some day, when he was bigger, he could marry her too. Like Chris was marrying his ma.  
  
"I'd like to buy ma something." He responded with a smile after a long silence.  
  
"This is the place to buy." She replied, feeling a great deal of accomplishment being able to coax a smile from his cherubic face. Strange how one could get so much pleasure from one simple act.  
  
"I have this much money." He reached into the pocket and showed her all his change, allowing it to clatter noisily on the table.  
  
Julia regarded the dollar in coins before her. "It's not a lot," she said honestly. "But I think we can manage to find Mary something nice and if not, I'm going to teach you a very important phrase that will carry you through life without any trouble."  
  
He leaned closer deciding it must be important if it was coming from an adult.  
  
"It's called charging it to your parent's account." 

* * *

  
Vin Tanner rode into Four Corners the next morning completely relaxed and wondered if it showed what he had been doing the past few days.

Of course, his friends were not completely stupid and he expected to bear the brunt of much teasing when he finally did see them but Vin was beyond caring. He was happier than he had been at any point in his life and nothing could spoil it. He and Alex spent two great days away from Four Corners, where no one knew them and they could just enjoy being with each other. He left Alex who was spending the night in Sweetwater and was due home sometime tomorrow. He hated being apart from her, even for a night.

 _Tanner, you are so gone_ , he told himself. 

Still, it was just as well that she was out of town today because he had an errand to run and he didn't  want her  knowing about it since it was going to be a surprise. Chris had allowed him the time to track and capture a horse thief named Ambrose Wayne, who had a reward of $300 on his head. Vin tracked the man to Purgatorio and brought him in, allowing Chris to collect the bounty at Bitter Creek. Despite Vin's willingness to share the reward money, Chris refused knowing what Vin wanted the cash for in the first place.  
  
Even though a formal announcement of their engagement had been made, Vin had yet to get Alex an engagement ring. Although she said she required no such token to prove she was his, Vin still did not like the idea of any fiancee of his not wearing so much as a ring, even if there were no plans for a wedding any time soon. Still, he knew he was a novice at this and as much as he hated to admit it, he was going to need help in buying one.  
  
Instead of heading straight for the livery to stable Peso, Vin rode straight to the saloon. It was late morning so he knew Ezra and Buck would be present at the establishment and Vin needed the help of the polished gambler if he intended on buying Alex a ring. Chris was probably still hiding out at his shack, far away from the wedding preparations for the day that was looming closer and closer. Vin made a mental note to tell Alex if they ever did get married, Inez was _not_ doing the planning.  
  
He dismounted the animal before the familiar surroundings of the saloon and made his way into dimly lit establishment, his eyes searching the table normally occupied by his friends and comrades. He saw Ezra, Buck, J.D. and to his surprise, Chris, who now that he thought of it, must have come into town for Billy Travis's homecoming.  
  
"Well look what the cat dragged in." Buck exclaimed as Vin reached the table and pulled himself a chair.  
  
"Hey Vin." J.D. greeted enthusiastically and made a space for Vin to take his place at the table.  
  
"Howdy." Vin drawled, perfectly aware of the gleaming leer on Buck's face. Obviously, he was fooling no one as to where he had been the past two days.  
  
"I trust your time away was well spent." Ezra replied as he toyed with the deck of cards in his hands. A faint smile was crossing the gambler's face as he made that statement. "You seemed refreshed."  
  
"Extremely refreshed." Buck added with a straight face even though he was trying not to laugh. "The wilderness can really refresh a man."  
  
Vin rolled his eyes and was about to respond when suddenly, Chris spoke up."Okay, that's enough."  

Vin had bigger problems to deal without suffering any of this juvenile ribbing. At the moment, Vin had no idea what calamity was coming at him and he needed to be told while there was still time for him to get out of town, Chris could not resist thinking.

"Leave the man alone. He's got trouble enough."  
  
Vin looked at Chris blankly. "What?"  
  
"Maybe it isn't that much of a problem." Buck spoke up, hoping Vin had better sense than to throw away what he had with Alexandra Styles. Buck had seen how he had been the last few months and knew that the tracker was never happier.  
  
"What?" Vin turned to the tall man across the table from him, bewildered.  
  
"Perhaps we are reading more into this then we should," Ezra added his two bits worth. "After all, this may be just a chance encounter."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vin demanded, shifting his eyes across the faces at the table one by one.  
  
"Charlotte Richmond is in town!" J.D. blurted out, unable to stand the suspense any more than Vin. The three older men turned to him in reproach that lasted only for a second before they returned their gaze back to Vin's astonished face.  
  
"Charlotte?" Vin stammered, thinking he heard wrong for a moment. Of course he hadn't. The others would not have brought it up otherwise.  
  
"She arrived yesterday Vin." Chris said quietly. "She was looking for you."  
  
This was just getting worse by the moment. Vin had no idea what to do and was almost grateful when Buck poured him a drink and slid the shot glass over. The tracker did not have to think twice before downing the contents with one sharp tilt of his head.  
  
"Another." He said shoving the glass back to Buck who promptly filled it up again.  
  
"When is Alex due back, pard?" Chris asked, knowing what an explosive situation Vin had on his hands. There was not a man in the world brave enough to get caught in the crosshairs of two women who had both staked a claim on him.  
  
"Tomorrow." Vin said almost in a small voice. "I was going to buy her a ring today." He mused because he could not quite think clearly. "I was going to get Ezra to help me."  
  
"I think that's the best thing you can do," Buck agreed robustly. "Go buy that gal of yours a ring. Charlotte's in the past Vin. She's old news. This doesn't have anything to do with you or Alex."  
  
"But she came all this way to find me..." Vin declared. "There has to be a reason."  
  
"There may be a reason," Ezra added his voice. "It may even be a good one but that does not change anything. You have made commitments to Alexandra, Mr Tanner."  
  
"I don't need anyone to tell me that." Vin snapped with uncharacteristic annoyance.  
  
His normally unflappable demeanour was shaken to the core in light of this situation. Of all the things that could have happened to him today, this was the one he least expected. He remembered Charlotte and the memory of their love still lingered in his mind, no matter how much time passed by. For all he knew, she could be just visiting and wanted to look him up but somehow, he knew that was not it. After their parting the last time, what they said to each other was very final and for her to seek him out like this meant something had changed significantly.  
  
"Then deal with this situation quickly." Ezra declared just as sharply and then turned to the others. "You know as well as I do, why she is in town. We all saw it and we know it was not because she just happened to be here. She is here because of you Mr Tanner and unless you want the situation to escalate into something that is going to harm everyone involved, especially Alexandra, you will end this quickly and make Mrs Richmond understand. She still travels under that name so I am assuming that Mr Richmond is still in the picture."  
  
"This is none of your business Ezra," Vin warned with enough menace in his voice to tell Chris this was starting to become ugly. "Just because you tom catted on Alex, don't mean I will!"  
  
Ezra jumped to his feet and Vin rose to meet the gambler's anger in kind. Chris immediately grabbed Vin's arm as warning for restraint while Buck and J.D. did the same thing, keeping Ezra from doing anything they might all regret.  
  
Chris, who had kept his own counsel until this point, finally spoke. "This is no one's business but Vin's." He aimed that remark not only at Ezra but also at Buck and to a lesser degree J.D. "Now the both of you settle down." Chris put enough threat in his voice to make certain he was obeyed.  
  
"I apologize Mr Tanner," Ezra said first, reluctantly realizing perhaps he pushed Vin into reacting because of his own treatment of Alex in the past. "I did not mean to impose myself upon you."  
  
"Its okay," Vin conceded, accepting the subject of Charlotte always made him crazy. The thick atmosphere of tension evaporated as Buck quickly poured both Vin and Ezra a drink after they all sat down once again.  
  
"Drink up." Buck ordered. "It will keep you both from saying anything stupid."  
  
"Do you still need assistance with that ring?" Ezra asked quietly, knowing Vin needed to do this before Charlotte got to him and made him start questioning his motives for such a purchase. The seven learned one thing about Vin Tanner when it came to the subject of Charlotte Richmond. The woman could make Vin behave with extreme unpredictability. Until that point, Vin was the reliable member of the team everyone could always count on.  
  
However, Charlotte robbed him of all good sense and both Ezra and Chris, who could read people well enough, knew that time and separation had changed nothing.  
  
Vin thought a moment, realizing what Ezra was asking. He loved Alex, there was no question of that. Neither was there any question he wanted to marry her and that she made him happier than he had ever been in his life. Charlotte's arrival in town was awkward but not devastating. It had ended between them when he left her with her husband. As far as he was concerned, that was all there was to the matter.  
  
"Yeah." He nodded firmly, coming to the conclusion, Charlotte was in the past and Alex was his future. "I do. I'd be grateful if you could give me a hand buying it Ezra."  
  
"I'd be honoured, Mr Tanner." Ezra said graciously.  
  
However, Chris Larabee who could read Vin better than anyone at the table, knew the situation was far from over.

* * *

  
Alexandra Styles returned to Four Corners at almost the same time as Vin Tanner made his arrival a day earlier.

She spent the day before in Sweetwater, doing some shopping, stocking up on medical supplies and took a day for herself that did not involve her patients. Of course, it was nowhere as exciting as the two days she spent with Vin locked in a hotel room, making passionate and steamy love. She did so enjoy being with him because he was never patronizing or typically male although like the rest of the gender, he had his moments. Still, she was secretly thrilled by their recent engagement.  
  
She spent the first few hours after her return home getting rested after her journey, doing some laundry after her sordid interlude and also unpacking after her shopping spree in Sweetwater. Strange, how such menial things could take up so much time and be oddly relaxing. She supposed everything was, if one did not consider it work. Once she took care of her chores at home, Alex stepped out of her house and went to let Vin know she was back. She felt a little guilty for leaving it so long, knowing he would have wanted to know the moment she hit town.  
  
She headed towards the saloon first, knowing it was the most likely place he would be if he wasn't in the jailhouse. As she continued down the boardwalk, familiar faces, some friends, and some patients greeted her. Alex wondered how Inez was going with the wedding preparations for Chris and Mary's wedding, aware the lady bartender was turning it into the biggest event since the battle of Gettysburg. The wedding had kept Chris Larabee hiding out in his shack out of town and Mary running for cover. As it was, Alex did not know how much longer she could side step Inez's efforts to get her involved.  
  
Alex hated nothing more than to become embroiled in such things, preferring to lose her sanity working then trying to decide which china patterns went with what napkins. She was passing Gloria Potter's store when suddenly she heard a voice call out.  
  
"Alex!"  
  
Damn, Alex swore under her breath as she heard Inez's voice sail out of the shop and ensnare her with no avenue of escape. Freezing in place, Alex decided she could no longer avoid the terrible fate in store for her as she turned around and waved at Inez who was emerging through the doors.

"Hi Inez," Alex greeted politely. "How goes the preparations?" It was best to get these things over and done with.  
  
"Well now that you ask," Inez smiled sweetly, linking her arm through Alex's because she was perfectly aware the doctor had been hiding to avoid being recruited in the wedding preparations. "You know I am maid of honour."   
  
"Yes," Alex nodded. "And you're doing a wonderful job at it, so wonderful in fact I'm sure you don't need me at all." She disengaged herself from Inez and tried to sneak away.  
  
"Hold it right there Doc." Inez said sternly, not at all fooled for one minute. "Mrs Recillios did not raise an idiot. You will help me and you will help me with a smile on your face, like this." She demonstrated by smiling brightly for Alex and then said in a more menacing tone. "Si?"  
  
"Si," Alex frowned, deciding Inez had finally snapped. "What do you need me to do?" She asked, submitting to her fate like someone being marched to the block.  
  
"Now that's the spirit," Inez grinned almost maniacally. "We have decided to have the bridal shower early, mostly because Mary thinks it would be too much bother to have it the day before, what with the preparations and all. I have too much to do and so I need someone else to arrange it."  
  
"You want me to organize a bridal shower?" Alex exclaimed. "What about Julia?"  
  
"She's busy helping me." Inez folded her arms, a stance Alex knew to mean she was not taking no for an answer.  
  
A bridal shower? What exactly happened at these things? She knew cucumber sandwiches and tea were involved with gifts being exchanged, lots of matronly women sitting about talking of how young bride's first night would be, droning on about the pitfalls of marriage. Even thinking about it sounded extremely dull to Alex, to say nothing of organizing such an affair.  
  
"But its boring Inez." Alex whined. "All these women sitting around talking about marriage and preserves and making jam. Who enjoys these things?"  
  
Inez rolled her eyes and looked at Alex as if she were an unlearned child. "Since when were you such a traditionalist? Be creative! Do something different! I mean think of something fun!"  
  
"In this town? Are you kidding?" Alex exclaimed exasperated. "Did you forgetting this is the place that almost lynched a man  when that theatrical troop put on Midsummer Nights Dream?"  
  
"Well you had to admit it could be forgiven someone might mistake that Puck fellow's name for something else."  
  
"Inez, I don't know how to organize a bridal shower." Alex implored. "Can you throw something together yourself? You're resourceful and smart, an astounding organizer. You can do this thing with your eyes closed."  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere Senorita Styles." Inez said reverting to Spanish which meant she was starting to get mad. When the colorful Spanish expletives began flying, even Buck had the sense to get out of the line of fire. "Bridal shower."  
  
Alex let out a visible groan before nodding in compliance, deciding she was no match for Inez on this matter. Alex made a mental note to tell Vin that if they ever did get married, Inez was _not_ doing the planning.  
  
"So now we have that all cleared up," Inez said brightly moving on, realizing she was not going to get any further arguments from Alex on this matter. "How was your trip?"  
  
"Fine." Alex said cautiously.  
  
"Just fine?" Inez looked at her with a playful smirk.  
  
"Okay," Alex could not help allowing a little smile steal across her features. "A little better than fine."  
  
Alex knew she could confide in Inez, who was not judgmental about the intimate relationships of her friends. "It was nice being able to wake up with him for once," she said quietly since the rest of the town need not know her private business. "No sneaking around in the middle of the night, in or out of bed. I'd love to do that all the time," she sighed, remembering how nice it was to wake up with Vin holding her.  
  
"Then perhaps you should get married."  
  
"Oh no you don't," Alex looked at her. "Do I have to get myself a crucifix to protect myself from you!"  
  
They had almost reached the saloon when Alex saw Vin emerging onto the street. She was about to wave at him when suddenly she heard a voice calling out.  
  
"Vin!"

Vin Tanner heard her call and turned around just in time to see Charlotte Richmond hurrying across the street with unbridled happiness on her face. She looked just as beautiful as he last remembered her, with dark auburn hair and eyes that seemed to reach into his soul and tear out his heart. She lifted her skirts as she ran towards him, letting it drop to the ground once she was near enough to throw her arms around him and pull him to her in a fierce kiss of passion. There was such hunger and need in hr lips it was almost impossible not to respond to it even slightly.

  
"Charlotte." He said breathlessly as he broke the kiss, unable to think of what to say. It was at this point he saw Alex staring at him.  
  
_Oh hell._  
  
Her eyes were fixed on him and the look he saw in her eyes was devoid of any expression. She walked forward slowly, with Inez at her side closing in on Vin and Charlotte.  
  
"What is it honey?" Charlotte asked, seeing the strained expression on his face and the eyes that were staring at a completely different direction. Vin broke away from her and strode towards Alex, hoping to explain before the situation got out of control as Ezra predicted.  
  
"Alex, this is not what it looks like." Vin said swallowing hard, feeling as if he was already tried, convicted and sentenced by the intensity of her gaze.  
  
"Explain it to me then." She said in a cool measured voice. Alex was telling herself repeatedly to give Vin the chance to explain because she loved him and she knew he would not intentionally hurt her.  
  
Inez made a discreet exit, hurrying into the saloon because she could think of doing nothing but getting Chris out here. The gunslinger seemed to be able to pacify such situations and Inez had a terrible feeling this situation needed pacifying rather urgently.  
  
Charlotte neared Vin, aware now there was something between her former lover and this dazzlingly beautiful woman who looked mad as hell. Suddenly, it occurred to her Vin had not languished in the months since they parted. He had actually picked up the pieces of his broken heart and given it to someone else. The realization created anguish inside Charlotte so sharply she almost doubled over from the despair of it.   
  
"This is Charlotte." Vin introduced. Charlotte was a subject he had never discussed with Alex because as far as Vin had been concerned, there was no reason to bring it up. After all, she was no longer a part of his life and would never be again.  
  
Alex knew who Charlotte was, long before she and Vin had begun their relationship.  Mary told her about the illicit love affair Vin shared with one of the married women of the wagon train the seven escorted out West. She saw in his eyes, the desperation to be believed and suddenly her anger faded. Alex recognised his fear she would not believe him and that dampened the fire of her rage significantly.  This was Vin after all and he'd proven time and time again, he would not hurt her for anything.  
  
If she had faith in nothing else, Alex had faith in that.  
  
"And the kiss?" She asked, hoping there was a reasonable explanation for that too.  
  
"She was kissing me darlin', not the other way around. I swear to you." He walked to her and held her hands in his, making her look into his eyes so she would understand there could be no one else after her.  
  
"I believe you." Alex said finally and allowed her gaze to shift to Charlotte who was staring at them both, in pain at the realization Vin's heart was no longer hers. Vin seemed to remember her at that point too and he turned back to his former love.  
  
"Its good to see you Charlotte." He stepped towards Charlotte, Alex's hand in his.   
  
"You said you were going to love me forever." She said defiantly, feeling like a child who was lost. She left everything for this man! What was she to do now? Her panic was real and palpable, it constricted in her throat and made it difficult to breathe.  
  
"Charlotte it's been almost a year." Vin tried to make her understand because he had no wish to hurt her. "I moved on!"  
  
"I left my husband!" She wailed, tears running down her cheeks. "I left my life for you and you're telling me you've moved on? How could you promise me that?"  
  
Alex saw the conflict in Vin's eyes and wished there were something she could say to take the guilt she saw in his face. A part of her was furious at this woman who would just expect Vin to be waiting for her after all this time.  
  
Another part of Alex, the doctor who felt compassion towards all, no matter what the crime, pitied Charlotte Richmond for the mistake she made.  
  
"I thought you were going to try and make it work with your husband," Vin said helplessly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chris, Buck and Inez emerge from the saloon. "We said goodbye..."  
  
"You said you would love me forever." Charlotte repeated, becoming more distraught by the moment. "Was that a lie?"  
  
"No it wasn't." He stammered, trying to explain things had changed. He had loved her for a very long time. There was not a day that went by during those first few months, after she had gone, Vin had not dreamt about riding out to the land she and her husband had settled to spirit her away. To go to Brazil like they talked about. However, even he understood it was not meant to be. She belonged with her husband. He saw that in the wake of Dicky O'Shea's attack on the wagon train when Richmond was almost killed. Vin believed then Charlotte loved him because he reminded her of the man she married, not for himself.  
  
"But I had to move on Charlotte. I couldn't live my life waiting for you."  
  
"Well I found out I couldn't live my life without you and I left my husband to come here." Charlotte returned, the resentment in her voice starting to surface. She glared, not at Vin but at Alex, who held the heart she let go almost a year ago. "What am I going to do now Vin? I've lost everything!"  
  
"Charlotte," Vin took a step forward and then realized if he were to go to her aid, he would be making the biggest mistake of his life. Instead, he held firm and tried to reason with her. "I'm sorry and I'll help anyway I can, but it can't be like it was. ."  
  
"I won't let you go Vin." She said defiantly, wiping the tears from her eyes as she regarded Alex as her hated rival. "You loved me once and I don't think you've stopped. I won't let you go. Not ever."  
  
"We're engaged to be married." Alex found herself saying because she could not endure another moment of this tirade. It was cutting Vin to ribbons just hearing it. She could see the lashes in his heart each time Charlotte spoke.  
  
"You're not married _yet_." Charlotte said viciously. "And I'm back now. Things change."  
  
Alex did not know what to say to that but Vin did and he did so with some anger. He could tolerate Charlotte's rage at him but he would not endure it aimed at Alex who was the innocent in all this. "Not that much Charlotte. Not that much."  
  
"Your eyes tell me different Vin," Charlotte said quietly, her eyes softening when she met his. "I know you still love me and until you stop, nothing is over."  
  
With that she hurried away, leaving destruction in her wake.

 


	4. Bachelors and Brides

Buck Wilmington made a decision following Vin's ugly confrontation with Charlotte Richmond.  
  
With the dark cloud forming over the celebrations, Buck decided to take a page out of Mary Travis's desire to have her bridal shower a few days earlier, and do the same for Chris's bachelor party by throwing it on the same night. 

  
For both bride and groom, it was going to be a memorable night.

* * *

 

 

After what happened with Charlotte, Alex was actually pleased to organize the bridal shower.

Throwing herself into something distracting was just what she needed to forget her present predicament. Although Vin assured her he was unaffected by the exchange between him and Charlotte, Alex knew better. He was hurt to the core by Charlotte's words, not so much by the fact she still loved him but by the circumstances she now found herself, having abandoned her husband. Considering the land the Richmonds were occupying contained gold, she had walked away from a comfortable living and Vin could not feel partially responsible for that loss.  
  
Alex felt sorry for the woman but not for her actions. After all, it was the height of arrogance to assume Vin would simply wait for her indefinitely. Fortunately, Charlotte stayed out of sight for the next two days, allowing both Alex and Vin to recover from the encounter. She threw herself into the task of organizing Mary's bridal shower, deciding Inez was right, she need not adhere to convention of what was expected at such ocassions and decided to tailor her plans to suit Mary's adventurous spirit.   
  
Since Julia had an entire house to herself, where else Alex's home was divided between her personal space and her clinic, the bridal shower was held at the Emporium owner's home. Invited were most of the women of Four Corners since Mary's reputation as a community leader demanded nothing less. Knowing it was a slight not to be invited, Alex was careful with the invitations and when all the guests did finally arrive, it was more or less a full house.  
  
To accommodate the volume, Alex decided it was simpler to have the shower in Julia's garden and the whole affair evolved into a tasteful garden picnic with everyone bringing a dish of their own to add to the collection on the large table holding the food. It was a nice autumn day, so it was not terribly hot but not very cold either. The affair began shortly before noon and did not expect to last much longer into mid afternoon which was just as well for Alex had more planned than just this for the festivities.  
  
Inez did tell her to be creative.  
  
The garden party was a most civilized affair with everyone lazing about in the afternoon sun, gossiping about the local goings on sipping tea and nibbling on the selection of food contributed by the guests. Alex found the thing utterly boring and admired Mary's ability to sit still and listen with complete patience to the ramblings of many Four Corners matrons. She saw Mary sitting with Mrs Janet O'Leary and Gloria Potter, who were both bombarding the young widow with all kinds of good advice. Alex immediately felt a stab of sympathy for her friend and hoped what she planned this evening would make up for some of this.  
  
Julia was similarly indisposed talking to another gaggle of housewives, no doubt about the future plans for the Emporium and what she intended to do with the establishment later on. Alex saw Inez engaged in conversation with Nettie and Casey and quickly decided that was where she preferred to be. She had been skirting the edge of the party, mingling and making enough small talk to seem sociable but in truth, she wanted to be far away from here.   
  
"Well I must congratulate you Alex," Inez complimented as she looked around in approval at the gathering before them. "You managed quite well for someone whose arm I had to twist into doing this."  
  
"Thanks," Alex replied with a faint smile and then met Nettie's gaze with an expression of humour. "It's mostly because I feared for my life. She would have hurt me if anything went wrong."  
  
"Now you leave Inez alone," Nettie laughed. "It's a hard thing organizing a wedding." The older woman gave Inez a wink. "A hundred things need to be done."

"I know I'm going to get you to do my wedding some day Inez." Casey declared with complete sincerity.  
  
"I shall be honoured." Inez said graciously. "Although I don't think I would like to do another wedding for quite a while." She let out a loud exhale at the remark. "Its just too much work."  
  
"Oh you're loving every minute of it." Alex scoffed with an expression on her face that told the lady bartender she was fooling no one.  
  
"I am not." Inez replied with great dignity, lifting her chin and tossing her hair back slightly to make her point. "I am doing this for Mary."  
  
"Speaking of which," Nettie glanced in Mary's direction. "Someone ought to be rescuing the bride, she's been too long with Janet. Listening to that woman is enough to drive anyone crazy as a coot."  
  
Nettie was not far wrong if the expression on Mary's face was anything to go by. The widow was still wearing the same mask for most of her conversation with Mrs O'Leary but even Casey could tell Mary needed rescuing. Mrs O'Leary was one of those women who had an opinion on everything, no matter how little she knew on the subject. Mrs O'Leary believed the wisdom of her age entitled  her to impress on everyone her views on how they ought to conduct themselves.

"Mary." Inez stepped forward, deciding as maid of honour it should be her responsibility to intercede on the widow's behalf. Beside her, Nettie advanced as well, deciding she could be of some assistance in this delicate operation.  
  
"Yes?" Mary said with clear relief in her face as Inez's voice halted Mrs O'Leary's conversation for the moment.  
  
"I need you to have a look at some of the flower samples for the wedding." Inez replied, not needing to tell Mary this was a rescue.   
  
"Well," Mary quickly rose to her feet. "I guess if I really have to." She looked down at Mrs O'Leary and took her leave of the woman as she went to tend to matters of the wedding. Mrs O'Leary had little time to argue as Nettie immediately slipped into Mary's former seat and took up the threads of conversation, ensuring Mrs O'Leary  had no idea she was being abandoned.  
  
As Inez and Mary drew away, Mary whispered into her ear. "Thank God. If I had to hear one more thing about how to keep a firm hand on Chris, I was going to scream."  
  
"Keep a firm hand on who?" Inez glanced over her shoulder in astonishment at the woman who dared to be so presumptuous. "On _Chris Larabee_?"  
  
"Exactly," Mary shook her head. "You have better chance of turning lead into gold."  
  
"Well how is the bride enjoying her bridal shower?" Alex asked when the two joined her and Casey once again. Alex immediately poured Mary a glass of punch and handed it to the widow, who took it gratefully and downed it because she really needed a drink.  
  
"I had no idea there were so many women in Four Corners." Mary sighed taking a sip of the punch and then regarding it a moment because its fruity flavor seemed to be laced with something else. "I think I have talked to everyone this afternoon."  
  
"And gotten more advice than you needed right, Mrs Travis?" Casey laughed, knowing how it felt to have everyone talking down to her. As the youngest member of the quartet, Casey often had to endure her elders imparting their advice upon her, even when she did not need it.  
  
"Exactly." Mary said taking a deeper sip of the punch. "What is in this?"  
  
Alex looked at her a little guiltily. "Just a little tinge of gin. Julia thought it might make people relax."  
  
"There's a little bit more than a tinge to make people relax," Mary retorted but nonetheless emptied the glass and handed it to Alex. "But I like it."  
  
"Well don't like it too much," Alex warned but filled the glass anyway. After all, it was Mary's bridal shower. She deserved to enjoy herself tonight. Besides, Alex had plenty in her worn doctor's bag that could cure a hangover.  
  
"This is just the appetizer. The main course starts in approximately four hours."  
  
"I am intrigued." Mary replied and glanced at Inez. "Do you know what's happening?"  
  
"Nope," Inez shook her head honestly. "She has not even told me. All I know is we have to pack an evening dress."  
  
"An evening dress?" Mary exclaimed, now sufficiently intrigued. "Doctor Styles, what mischief do you have planned?" Mary looked at Alex's innocent expression with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Trust me, you'll enjoy it." Alex said confidently, having planned the whole evening well ahead of time, before the first matron had even arrived this morning with pie.  
  
"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to get into trouble?" Mary turned an accusing stare in Alex's direction.  
  
"Because trouble is your middle name and getting into it is your _first_?" Inez suggested helpfully.  
  
Mary stared at both Inez and Alex for a long moment and then said to Casey. "I think I should be afraid, very afraid."

* * *

  
It was almost three o'clock by the time the last guest left and Mary had drunk enough of Julia's fruit punch to be very relaxed indeed. In fact, she was actually looking forward to whatever intrigue Alex planned for the evening and hoped it was not as traditional or as suffocating as the previous garden party. Mary understood the earlier soiree had to be this way because of her position as community leader, but she hoped Alex had something fun planned.   
  
However, their afternoon plans were exclusively for Mary, Inez, Julia and Alex. Mary wished Casey could have accompanied them but according to Alex, she was not sure Nettie would approve of where they were going this evening. 

As per Alex's instruction, Mary packed a valise containing an evening dress which she was assured could be pressed when they reached their destination. They would not be gone all night because all four had commitments at home the next day, no matter how much they would have liked to have shirked them. Gloria Potter agreed to take Billy for the night who seemed a little more manageable after his conversation with Julia Pemberton. It was to Mary's amusement her son had developed a crush on the Emporium owner after her kindness to him.  
  
Wondering what Chris would be getting up to while she was gone, Mary made her way to the livery once she finished packing. Obviously, Alex had planned a little foray out of town but it was anyone's guess what the doctor had in mind. She hoped it was less scandalous then what she was certain Buck had planned for Chris. Mary reminded herself she was not going to let her imagination run away with her at what the men would be indulging in tonight.  
  
Besides, she was passed  the point in their relationship where she was jealous of other women. Chris knew how to restrain himself in all things and so she had every confidence there was nothing Buck could tempt Chris with.  
  
Otherwise, she was shooting him with his own gun.   
  
Mary arrived at the stable and saw the others already present. They were waiting patiently for the stable hand on premises to complete hitching a pair of horses to a buggy large enough to seat four. Apparently she was correct in her assertion this excursion was going to be out of Four Corners and looked forward to an interesting evening. It also helped the punch had put her in an extremely good mood where she was able to forget the more tedious aspects of the wedding.  
  
"Are we going on a trip?" Mary asked.  
  
"Yes but not a terribly long one. Just for the evening." Alex replied since none of the others had an idea what was happening beyond their departure from town.  
  
"Where are we going?" Mary inquired, hating mysteries. Journalistic curiosity was a terrible burden to bear she decided. It was the same excuse she employed when she used to sneak dowstairs to Christmas presents before the morning.  
  
"Not telling." Alex said adamantly. "Just get in the carriage."  
  
"You realize of course," Inez responded with a smile from the backseat of the buggy. "We will not get a moment's peace until we arrive. She is going to drive you to madness until she knows."  
  
"Did I really make you my maid of honour?" Mary threw her a dark look.  
  
"Yes, so its too late to change your mind now." Inez winked with a satisfied smirk.  
  
"Come on Mary," Julia urged, eager to get going because unlike Mary she thrived on surprises. "Leave a little mystery in your life."  
  
Mary sighed, deciding she was outnumbered on this point. It appeared she was just going to have to endure the mystery until they arrived at their destination. Still, she had to admit there was something intriguing about not knowing where they were going although the possibilities would narrow once they left town. After they were settled in the carriage, Alex took the reins and the quartet began their trip.  
  
It did not take long into their journey before Mary guessed they were heading towards Sweetwater and knowing the kinds of entertainment existing in that larger town, Mary admitted it was a pleasant discovery. The weather held for most of the ride, with the temperature dropping slightly as the day progressed into night. Autumn left a slight chill in the air but they wisely brought their shawls and coats with them to deal with it. Mary found the ride to Sweetwater far more enjoyable then the bridal shower she was forced to endure that morning.  
  
It surprised Mary to realise how little she had in common with the wives of Four Corners. Her world involved crises on an almost daily basis and her life involved more than just raising a child and keeping house. On the eve of marrying again, Mary was far happier because she had the love of a good man and a job she loved doing. The three friends with her at this moment shared more of an understanding about the way she lived then anyone she met throughout her time in the Territory.  
  
The sun started to set when they arrived in Sweetwater. After leaving the buggy at the local livery, the four women found themselves at the luxurious Sweetwater Hotel with its rooms of running water and room service. Although they would not be staying the night, Alex  booked a room so they had somewhere to get dressed and cleaned up before they went out for a night out on the town. The hotel had in house entertainment as well as a gambling casino, none of which any of them had ever chanced to enjoy.  
  
After checking into the room, the women proceeded to get refreshed and changed into their evening wear for the night ahead. The hotel boasted a five-star restaurant which provided them with dinner. Mary enjoyed the evening immensely, knowing she was probably courting danger when she partook of the bottle of wine Julia ordered. It was certainly a far cry from the stolid proceedings earlier that day, even though she understood why it was necessary for Alex to plan it that way.

After dinner, they proceeded to the Sweetwater Community Hall where a touring theatre company was performing a production of Henrik Ibsen's Doll House. The play which had been running in Sweetwater, created controversy with its feminist leanings and all four women watching the show, found the production struck a chord, particularly with their independant natures. 

At the end of the play, they returned to the hotel although the alcohol imbibed throughout the evening was well and truly having its effect on the bride. 

"Oh my," Mary giggled as the wine went straight to her head and turned her cheeks pink with colour. "I think I'm going to suffer tomorrow." She laughed as she drained her glass.  
  
"Well you're supposed to sip it." Inez pointed out, feeling a little tipsy herself. "Just make sure she doesn't convince us to go investigate an old haunted house." The bartender remembered all too clearly what happened the last time they imbibed too much of the devil's water.  
  
"Ah yes," Julia nodded. "The infamous Chesterton House. Ezra made some mention of that."  
  
"I'll bet he did." Mary grumbled. "I had to put up with Chris wearing a smirk across his face for the next week."  
  
"Don't get me started," Inez waved away the subject with distaste. She remembered how irritating Buck had been during that time, particularly after he tried to help her by giving her his hangover remedy. Fortunately, this time she was wise to him. "Buck would not let me live it down for just as long." 

"Are you ever going to do anything about that man?" Alex asked, now that the alcohol was getting to all of them with the possible exception of Julia, who as always remained poised and in control of her faculties.   
  
"Like what?" Inez looked at her.  
  
"Sleep with him for God's sake." Mary blurted out and more or less confirmed she was on the heavy side of tipsy. "Put him out of his misery and yours."  
  
"Never." Inez exclaimed, with great dignity. "I'm saving myself for marriage."  
  
The three women looked at her.  
  
"You are kidding, aren't you?" Julia asked, unable to even fathom such an archaic concept. Of course, it was never proper to be too free with one's affections at least as far as Mary and Alex were concerned.  
  
"Of course I am kidding!" Inez burst out laughing, thinking how priceless the blank expressions on their faces were. "I don't take those cold showers for nothing you know."  
  
"You're just doing it to torture Buck." Mary teased.  
  
"Yes." The bartender said with complete sincerity. "If I have to suffer, so does he."   
  
"So what now Alex?" Mary asked, as they entered the premises of the hotel once more. She wondered what else Alex had planned for the evening.  
  
"I thought we'd go to the hotel casino." Alex suggested with a smile, pleased her friends were enjoying themselves immensely. The rest of the patrons in the hotel were casting odd looks at the four women who were obviously drunk and enjoying every minute of their scandalous behaviour. Alex who did not drink felt the alcohol effect her more than it should. while Julia seemed sober even though she  drank considerably. It did not surprise Alex Julia could hold her liquor quite well.  
  
"You gambler you." Mary pointed an unsteady finger in her direction. "You just want to get into a game."   
  
"I do not!" Alex giggled in protest. "I thought we might have a look at the other people playing."  
  
"Sure." Inez laughed. "Just as long as we don't have to steal horses and make a getaway."  
  
"Or have to wear men's clothes." Julia added, wrinkling her nose.  
  
"Or blow up a bank." Alex added, looking at Mary as she said that.  
  
"I'll have you know that you ought to be grateful. I did that to rescue you!" Mary said haughtily. "Now let us see what else there is to do of this place. It's my last days as a free woman, I want to kick up my heels and live a little. I'm suppose to forget all that fun stuff when I'm married you know. You wait," she regarded all three of them. "Some day, you'll be married too and then you'll suffer."  
  
With that, she wandered off without them.

"I think we better keep a close eye on her." Julia declared and then looked at the rest of her companions and made a mental note to keep them all under close supervision. Fortunately, being somewhat wild in her youth allowed Julia to develop the tolerance none of the others had.  
  
"No problem," Inez hurried after Mary, just as inebriated. "That's what maids of honour are for!"  
  
Julia watched Inez disappear out the lobby and turned to Alex. "On second thought, I think I'd better keep an eye on the lot of you."  
  
While Alex settled the bill at the hotel, Julia took a moment in the powder room, intending to meet up with the others in the casino. However, when she reached that part of the hotel, her three friends were nowhere in sight. Julia scanned the vicinity, searching for the trio at the gaming tables where poker, roulette and blackjack were being played by both men and women. It was a tasteful atmosphere but the tension was still the same around the gambling tables were money was the only equalizer.  
  
Julia searched the card tables first and saw no sign of her friends until she happened along the bar.  
  
"Oh my God." Julia exclaimed at the sight she was seeing.

"Now see Senor," Inez held court, surrounded by four men who were very taken with the sultry beauty, if the gleam in their eyes were anything to go by. On the counter next to her was a bottle of tequila, slices of lemon and some salt. "This is how you prove you're a man in Mexico."   
  
Julia watched in mild fascination as Inez dusted some salt onto her forearm before sucking it into her mouth. Immediately following that action, she picked up the shot glass filled to the brim with tequila and tossed it back, imbibing the contents with one deep swallow. Without missing a beat, she picked up the lemon slice and bit into it. Inez winced as she removed the fruit from her lips, wiping away the juice with her arm before slamming the glass hard on the counter.  
  
The men clapped as if she had performed some minor miracle and Julia had this terrible premonition she had better stay sober for the rest of the night as well as tracking down the others. By now Inez had refilled the glass and was reaching for another slice of lemon much to the amusement of the men around her.  
  
Julia did not know if she should drag Inez away now or wait until the woman was comatose with tequila before making the attempt. Either way, at the rate she was going, Inez was not going to have to have any trouble worrying about cold showers with the men who were presently surrounding her.  
  
"Inez." Julia broke through the group watching Inez like she was the tastiest thing on the counter. Inez uninhibited was even more alluring than Inez sober. She oozed sexuality with such force it was almost something tangible and almost every man who was offering to buy her a drink was slave to it. Julia could only thank God that Buck was not here. This display from the object of his affections would probably send the man into a blubbery idiot.  
  
"Julia!" Inez gushed and wrapped her arm around Julia's shoulder. "Everyone, this is my friend Julia. Julia say hello everyone!"  
  
_Oh boy_ , Julia thought to herself and made an obligatory greeting to the men present. "Inez, maybe you've had enough."  
  
"Enough?" Inez looked at her with horror. "I am perfectly fine. Look!" She held out her hand to show Julia  it was perfectly stationary even though she could barely remain seated on her stool. "Bartender! One more!" Inez laughed and then remembered something. "Never mind Senor, I can do it myself."  
  
She leaned across the counter and retrieved the bottle of tequila before pouring herself another glass. Repeating the procedure with the salt, she drained its contents sharply and pressed the lemon slice to her lips before letting out a satisfied grin of accomplishment. "See Julia, I can not only run the bar, I can also plan a wedding and drink tequila like a man. Mama Recillos would be so proud of me."  
  
Julia rolled her eyes and deadpanned. "You're an inspiration to women everywhere." 

Deciding that it was not safe to leave Inez alone, especially in her drunken state, Julia took her by the arm and helped her off the bench. "Gentlemen," Julia said politely. "I think my friend and I will call it a night."  
  
There were mumbles of disappointment all around when she dragged Inez away from the bar and the bottle of tequila which the lady bartender made a grab for as they drew away. Julia was frankly quite grateful to all the deities, she had gotten to Inez before the woman did anything she would hate herself for in the morning. Julia kept a firm grip on Inez and  began searching for Mary, hoping the widow was not in the same state as Inez or else this was going to be a very long night.  
  
Actually, it did not take Julia very long to find Mary Travis and where she did find the bride to be made the Emporium owner's jaw drop in astonishment. Towing Inez behind her, Julia found Mary at the roulette table in the arms of a man.

The duo was exchanging extremely heated kisses, much to the outrage of the more respectable customers in the casino. Patrons were staring at Mary and her new friend with expressions of reproach and disapproval. As she neared Mary, Julia tried to snare a look at the man whom Mary was willing to behave so improperly with and found there was something familiar about him. However, it was somewhat difficult to see when neither he nor Mary was coming up for air very soon.  
  
"Looks like Mary's having fun." Inez chuckled as Julia let go of her long enough to go retrieve the errant bride.  
  
"Mary Travis," Julia said clutching the woman by the wrist and pulling her away from the man. Suddenly, she began to understand what all those relatives of hers had endured when she was in the worst of her wild and wanton days. "What in God's name are you doing?"  
  
"Hey!" The man she was kissing grumbled in annoyance and looked at Julia. If she had thought seeing Mary kissing a complete stranger was shocking enough, it did not compare to the astonishment she felt when she looked into his face.   
  
It was Chris!  
  
At least she thought it was Chris Larabee at first glance. As she blinked, she could understand why Mary would make such a mistake in her state of inebriation. Only when she looked closer, could Julia see the differences and they were slight differences indeed. The most obvious was the moustache he wore and his eyes seemed darker and colder. He did not wear black but brown leather or suede, she could not be sure. His unruly hair hung over his eyes and he stared at her with the same intense gaze.  
  
"It's alright Julia," Mary said and then hiccupped loudly. "Its Chris. He just grew a moustache, that's all."  
  
"I apologize for my friend, Mr...?" Julia asked deciding she did not want to get into a situation with this man who wore a gun belt around his waist and looked like someone dangerous.   
  
"Ringo," he said eyeing her as if she were as tasty as Mary. "Johnny Ringo."  
  
He certainly was, Julia thought with a smile. The resemblance was uncanny down to the devastatingly handsome sneer on his face. If nothing else, Julia could not fault Mary's taste.  
  
"Mr Ringo," Julia sighed, deciding she ought to be the responsible one for once in her life since Mary was in no mind to think for herself. "My friend here is engaged to be married in a day or two. She normally does not drink very much and you bear an amazing resemblance to her fiancee. Please understand she is not in full control of her faculties."  
  
"I kinda guessed that." He broke into a faint smile, appearing not at all offended, more amused. "Kept calling me Chris and telling me how glad she was to see me out of black. What is this guy, an undertaker?"  
  
Julia held a straight face. "Something like that." She replied. Well technically it was not a lie. Chris had put enough men into the ground in his time. "I'd appreciate it if you would excuse her, she's not normally prone to behaving this way."  
  
"I gathered," he grinned. "You won't begrudge me if I say goodbye to the lady now would you?" Ringo asked taking a step towards Mary, who was still smiling at him, her lips reddened from their passionate exchange.  
  
"Of course not." Julia replied, not wanting any trouble.  
  
Johnny Ringo approached Mary Travis and grabbed her roughly again, pulling her to his mouth as he gave her a bruising kiss. He would have like to have taken this woman but he saw no pleasure in enjoying her company and then having her call out someone else's name. He kissed her hard and passionately, wondering if this man to whom he so closely resembled had the same hunger for her. It was a waste if he did not. When he parted, he merely winked at Mary and responded in departure.

"If you ever get sick of this Chris guy, look me up."  
  
"Where's Chris going?" Mary asked Julia in puzzlement as Ringo started to leave the gambling area.  
  
Julia groaned as she realized Inez was off somewhere and she would have to find her again. "Listen to me very closely Mary," the redhead said slowly. "That was not Chris!"  
  
"Of course it was." Mary scoffed. "You just didn't recognize him with the moustache."  
  
Julia gave up.

* * *

  
"Alex!" Julia hissed as she found the doctor seated at one of the private gambling tables on the far end of the casino. In this part of the gaming floor, high stakes poker was being played if the pot in the middle of the table was any indication. The notes piled in the middle of the felt covered table was a small fortune of hundred dollar bills and it appeared all eyes were on Alex.  
  
"Excuse me Miss," one of the players said. "Do you mind?  We are currently engaged in some serious betting." He was an older man with a handlebar moustache, wearing a fancy suit and appeared to take his gambling very seriously. "Now Doctor Styles, are you still with us?"  
  
"Certainly Doctor Andrews." Alex smiled back and then turned to Julia who moved behind her with Mary. "I'll be just a second, Julia."  
  
Julia huffed impatiently, eager to get out of this place because Mary was becoming increasingly difficult to manage with the widow wanting to go off to seek Chris with his new moustache. She glanced at the cards Alex was holding and had to admit it was an impressive hand. Casting her mind back to Alex's infamous game with Ezra, Julia could not help but smile at thinking how mortified her lover had been at Alex letting him win again. He still demanded a rematch occasionally but his persistence had faded with Alex's constant refusal.  
  
At the moment however, the tension at the table was on a knife's edge as Alex pushed notes into towards the large pile, to add to the tension building with slow momentum. "I raise two hundred dollars. Any one of you boys care to match that?" She met the eyes of the men around her, challenging them to keep up with her. Not wishing to be outdone by a woman, the man directly across her pushed more money towards the pot.  
  
"I match your two and raise you three." The man stared at her, daring Alex to compete. A small crowd had gathered around the table, watching in anticipation at how much money was going to find its way into the centre of the table before a card was even seen.  
  
"I'm out!" Someone said and his declaration was followed by his cards landing on the table as he pushed away from the edge in a show of defeat. The circle returned to Doctor Andrews who bit his lip in consideration as he weighed the notion of pulling out while he could or riding this game to its inevitable conclusion.  
  
"Do we take IOU's?" The doctor inquired and drew sharp responses of nos from those seated, except Alex.  
  
"I can cover you Doctor Andrews," Alex offered. "Call it professional courtesy."   
  
"Why thank you Doctor Styles." Andrews smiled, tipping his hat in her direction before remarking. "I'd like to match Mr Douglas's bet to stay in."  
  
"For my esteemed colleague." Alex announced and pushed Andrews's notes forward. "And for myself, another hundred."  
  
Mary leaned over her shoulder to see what cards she had when suddenly the widow exclaimed. "But you've only three eights and a pair of queens!"  
  
A visible groan followed as Alex slapped a palm over her face in embarrassment not to mention defeat, since the disclosure had more or less ended the game. The doctor winced in frustration as she looked up at her opponents and asked with a wry smile. "I guess no one's going to raise?"  
  
The expression on their faces said enough and Julia whispered in Alex's ear. "Now can we go home?"

* * *

  
_****_

  
Unlike the sedate affair enjoyed initially by the women of Four Corners, the bachelor party was somewhat livelier as such things tended to be. The Standish Tavern had been closed for the evening, devoted exclusively to the use of the seven as they celebrated Chris Larabee's last days of freedom as a single man. With Buck Wilmington in charge of the festivities, there was naturally, plenty of alcohol  and working girls in attendance, doing the rounds of the room, even though no one had taken up the offer to disappear upstairs for some feminine company.  
  
Chris had to admit he was having a good time and glanced over at Vin who sat not far from him, with a woman in his lap trying to behave even though she was coming on very strong, he guessed the tracker was enjoying himself as well.  
  
For once, Chris had to admit Buck's idea to bring forward this party was a good one for the tensions created by Charlotte's appearance in Four Corners was nowhere to be seen. Although he had yet to pick a best man , Chris had a candidate in mind and hoped neither Buck nor Vin would be too offended by his choice.  
  
"Well Mr Larabee," Ezra said sitting next to him with a drink. "How does this compare to the last soiree Mr Wilmington threw in your honour?"  
  
"A lot less trouble," Chris replied, downing his glass and reaching for the bottle on the table near him. "At least I'm not waking up with a bell around my neck."  
  
"I would love to hear the story behind that conclusion." Ezra laughed. "Although I would not count the entertainment for the evening as being confined to this delightful gathering." The gambler gestured to the women before them. "I do believe he has something special planned."  
  
"That's a worry." Chris drawled, feeling drunk already but not enough for it to be debilitating. "Buck never does anything conventional in that sense."  
  
"Hey Ezra," Buck sang out. The tall man was presently holding a rather voluptuous working girl in one hand and a glass in another. "How about singing us a song? I told Trixie here you got the purdiest voice. Remember when you made your debut at Wickestown?"  
  
"Yeah Ezra!" Nathan laughed. "Maybe we can find you something to wear."  
  
"That is not funny Mr Wilmington." Ezra grumbled with annoyance. "I'll have you know, that I only wore that costume in the line of duty."  
  
"Well Ezra," Chris teased. "You had to admit you were quite the fetching young lady."  
  
"You are an engaged man Mr Larabee," Ezra said darkly. "You are not meant to be noticing how fetching I am.  Now if you excuse me, I need to go kill Mr Wilmington or at the very least shoot him in the mouth."  
  
"Good luck with that," Chris replied. "Believe me, its been tried before."  
  
"Just one song and show a little leg!" Buck's voice sang out again and Ezra flashed him a look that was filled with daggers.  
  
Chris laughed as he watched Ezra proceed forward to confront Buck and possibly Nathan who was enjoying this playful teasing as much as his oldest friend. Good ol' Buck, Chris shook his head in resignation. The man never changed and in some ways Chris was almost glad for it. It was nice to know that at least something in his life remained constant.

So much had changed in the last two years since he arrived at Four Corners. It was quite a sobering thing to remember Sarah and Adam had been dead five years already. Where had the time gone? He never imagined the turn his life would take when he first felt his heart react at the sight of the woman standing down a bunch of drunks, with a shotgun she was having trouble just holding on to. Trembling as she raised the weapon to fire, the determination in her eyes and the set of her jaw as she prepared to stand firm, touched him more than anything had done since his wife and son died. Did he know then he loved her or was it just the knowledge of something being rekindled inside him?

Chris did not know for certain and perhaps he would never would. When he first laid eyes on Mary Travis, everything had changed for him, not just the unbearable pain of his loss but also the loneliness he wore like a cloak for much of his life even when his family still lived. Mary made his life worth living again and along with her came the friends who were now working themselves into a proper state of intoxication.  
  
He looked up and saw Ezra and Buck wrestling, with Nathan yelling something to Buck about keeping his hands off the lady and Chris did not believe the healer was refering to Trixie. He tried to suppress a smile as both Buck and Ezra landed on the table, their collective weight crushing it beneath them, sending bottles and glasses full of drink in all direction. Nathan was holding his glass high, lest he did not spill anything while around the two men, laughter ensued.  
  
Vin stepped out of the line of fire, holding his own glass carefully not to spill it in the midst of all the excitement as he came to take Ezra's seat next to Chris. The tracker seemed in good spirits which was quite a change considering his encounter with Charlotte had been only a day or so ago. Like Chris, Vin preferred to stay out of the hard carousing the others indulged in, although the tracker was known to have a playful side when the mood took him.  
  
"How are you enjoying your bachelor party, pard?" Vin asked, his gaze still fixed on Ezra and Buck. By now, the gambler had impossibly managed to get Buck in a neck lock and was proceeding to empty a bottle of whisky over the man's head while the rest of the room was cheering him on. Buck who was unrepentant was crying out, 'Don't hurt me ma'am!' Which only succeeded in infuriating Ezra even more  
  
"I'm enjoying it pretty good." Chris had to admit. "I think I like staying out of the line of fire more than anything else."  
  
"I don't blame you." Vin laughed. "Come on Ezra, show the man what it's like to take on a lady!" The tracker hollered in the direction of the main group.  
  
"Duck!" Chris warned and the two men moved out of the way as a bottle flew in their direction and impacted on the floor behind them, spraying them with fluid as it shattered.  
  
"I wouldn't rest too easy," Vin said after they were back in their original positions again. "I hear Buck's got something else planned this evening. He had it brought in special from Bitter Creek."  
  
"Really?" Chris frowned, hating surprises of any kind. In particular those that had its origins from Buck Wilmington. He remembered the last such surprise Buck had sprung on him and recalled it ended up with him having to sneak into town without a stitch of clothing other than the boots on his feet.  
  
"He's been whispering about nothing else. Said it was something special sure to knock our socks off."   
  
Chris did not want his socks knocked off, or anything else for that matter. However, it did not look like anything was going to happen just yet, with Ezra finally releasing Buck who was soaked from his alcohol bath. Ezra had now turned his attention to his other tormentor and was running after Nathan with another full bottle of whisky. Almost everyone in the room was suitably inebriated by this point and so Ezra was being cheered on in this endeavour.  
  
In the meantime, J.D. and Josiah were engaged in a drinking contest. Josiah seemed as stoic as always, his tally of empty glasses not all reflecte in his seemingly sober mask. J.D. on the other hand was on a fast track to being completely shit faced before the hour was up. To his credit, J.D. was hanging on quite well as he tried to keep pace with Josiah who was clearly offering the young man a challenge to stay upright. Knowing J.D. as well as he did, Chris knew the youngster was stubborn enough to drink himself into oblivion just to prove he could keep up with the older man.  
  
"Kid's going to be sick to the stomach tomorrow." Vin said with a wry smile.  
  
"Tomorrow?" Chris looked at him. "I'd give him another twenty minutes."  
  
Suddenly Chris remembered he had something to discuss with the tracker and figured now was as good a time as any to bring it up. "Listen pard," Chris said taking a sip of his drink and looking at the younger man. "After me and Mary are hitched, chances are I won't be spending too much time at the shack. I was wondering whether you'd like to take up the place. I need someone to keep an eye on it."  
  
"Are you sure?" Vin asked somewhat overwhelmed by the offer. "I mean, I thought you were pretty attached to the property."  
  
"I ain't giving it to you or nothing," Chris joked, amused by Vin's reaction. "I just want someone to be there if I ain't going to be. I'll be staying at Mary's place although I reserve the right to turn up now and then, when I need some peace and quiet. Besides, I'll still take Billy fishing up at the creek."  
  
"Thanks Chris," Vin said softly, feeling the emotion well up inside him at the gesture. Vin had never really been anywhere long enough to call it home before coming to Four Corners and what Chris was offering, was a place of his own where he could escape the quiet without needing to disappear into the wilderness for solitude.  
  
"Okay Chris.  Its time for the entertainment." The tall man reeked of liquor as he made the announcement, running his fingers through his dark hair. He dashed up the stairs to the upper floor of the saloon and called out. "Come on out Darlin'!"

No sooner than he had captured everyone's attention, they heard the scratchy sound of a phonograph starting to blare.  
  
The music playing from some undisclosed room in the corridor was loud and heavy with percussion. It was the kind of music one heard in music halls and steamy theater shows in the big city. Buck hurried down the stairs back to Chris and Vin before announcing. "Everybody give a hand for the lovely Miss Salome and the dance of the Seven Veils!"  
  
She emerged from one of the room, tall, lithe and clad in a colorful assortment of strategically placed scarves over parts of her body. Her long red hair was tied into a pony tail that hung over back and swayed tantalizingly when she moved. A veil hung over her face and through the sheer fabric, they could almost see her full round lips.

And the scarves were the only things she was wearing.

The woman who went by the pseudonym Salome, sauntered down the stairs, dancing to an exotic beat that reminded everyone present of faraway places known to them only in books and stories. The dance could only be described by those witnessing it as pure sex.  
  
It showed in the slow movement of her hands, the way her hips swung from side to side, making her skin ripple with such fluidity of movement there was not one man present who unaffected by the display. Even Chris started to feel a little dry in the throat as she regarded the men present with deep green eyes, in her seductive but painfully slow movements. The music seemed to be almost as intoxicating as the dancer before them, forcing each man to be aware of her as she stepped onto the floor, wearing soft slippers that made it seem she was gliding across the floor.   
  
No one spoke as she drew closer and even Josiah and J.D. had abandoned their drinking contest in light of the vision before them. The woman moved gracefully to the centre floor of the saloon. She was dressed in an imitation of a harem girl's costume which was little more than wisps of gossamer like material clinging to her white skin and bounced lightly with each movement.  
  
"Mr. Wilmington, you've out done yourself." Ezra's voice managed to say in a quiet whisper as he watched with the same mesmerized expression as his companions. It was impossible to be unaffected by the seductive movements of the woman before him when the heathen dance she was performing made all of them thank God they were men. The six had all chipped in their money for Chris's party and at this moment, were extremely pleased with Buck's efforts.  
  
"Why thank you Ezra," Buck said with a smile. "Of course, she ain't as pretty as you in a dress but we can't all be that blessed."  
  
A small titter of laughter was followed by Ezra throwing a bowl of nuts in Buck's direction.  
  
Salome of the veils approached Chris. The gunslinger found himself swallowing as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his through the silk of the veil, affording him an extremely healthy view of her breasts, barely concealed in the top she was wearing. The scarves that were tucked neatly in a sequined belt around her hip, kept her bare thighs from being exposed and brushed against Chris as she danced before him. Her hand snaked down the length of her naked stomach and she unhooked one of the lengths of material from its place before tossing it in Chris's direction. She offered him an alluring smile and then withdrew to lavish her attentions on Vin.  
  
Chris let out a sigh of relief as Salome made the rounds of the room, thinking to himself he had not been this tempted in quite some time. He realized much of it had to do with being drunk but it was difficult not to react to the sight of a half naked woman gyrating sinfully before him. He looked over his shoulder at Buck and stared at his old friend with narrowed eyes.  
  
"You're an evil man Buck." Chris said with a devilish sneer.  
  
"Well Chris, I just wanted you to know what you'd be giving up." Buck patted him on the back as they both watched Vin get bright red as the woman lowered herself on the tracker and performed a highly tantalizing lap dance . Chris could see Vin's Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he too, was forced to remind himself that he had prior commitments else where. Like before, she removed another veil as a calling card before departing from the tracker to continue her journey through the rest of the room.  
  
"This ain't reminding me," Chris glared at him with mock anger. "This is torture. Where did you find her?" He asked over the sound of the music playing from the phonograph.  
  
"In Bitter Creek. She's one of the acts at the new burlesque parlour at the seamier side of town." Buck replied, his eyes moving in perfect rhythm with Salome's firm round derriere.  
  
That explained why Buck had been so eager to take any duty that required him going to Bitter Creek the past few weeks. During these forays, Buck seldom came home until the next day and Chris now had an idea what the man had been up to. With a smile, he wondered just how well Buck knew Salome. If Chris all knew Buck Wilmington's habit, he would have no doubt attempted to familiarize his relationship with the young lady in the biblical sense.  
  
J.D. was staring at the woman before him with wide eyes as Salome turned her attentions to him. The youngster was in an even worse state than Vin because J.D. could not even bring himself to drop his gaze from her face even though he very much wanted to look. Even Salome was finding some amusement in his shyness and she slipped a veil behind his neck and caressed his skin as she tugged on either end. J.D. was trying to say something but only managed a lopsided grin as he felt Salome's long hair brushing against his cheek.  
  
"I think he's about to pop." Buck laughed and Chris could hardly disagree. He was in better control of his urges than most and he was having a difficult time wrestling with temptation to even think what J.D. must be going through at the moment. It did not help the situation that with the removal of each scarf, more of Salome's shapely legs were being exposed for all to see. At this point, her long slender legs was almost as tantalizing as everything else she was doing.  
  
"Come on Chris," Buck grinned, filling Chris's glass with more liquor since he had more plans for the groom that would require Chris being in a state of further intoxication.  
  
Chris would probably kill him and his co-conspirators, namely Vin and Ezra but then no one lived forever.  
  
By the time Salome discarded her last veil, Chris was so drunk that he could barely stand. Thanks to Buck filling his glass every time he emptied it, the gunslinger was almost comatose when the music and the entertainment came to an end. J.D. was forced to excuse himself after the stimulating display and none of the older men wanted to know exactly where he was going, even though they all had a pretty good idea. Fortunately, Buck, Vin and Ezra had other preoccupations in mind, so the lust they had felt over the sumptuous Miss Salome was fleeting.  
  
Nathan helped Josiah back to his lodgings, since apparently J.D. had belatedly won their drinking contest when the preacher had collapsed in a drunken heap, clutching a silk scarf while wearing an inexplicable smile on his face that Nathan did not want explained to him. As Chris was more or less out cold, the party had come to an end with most of the guests choosing to depart and Ezra deciding it was as good a time as any to close the tavern for the night.  
  
"Buck," Vin said as he helped the tall man carry Chris upstairs. "I hope we don't get shot for this. I ain't lived long enough to want to go out so soon."  
  
"I'm telling you Vin," Buck grinned as they made their way up the stairs, with Vin holding Chris's legs and Buck keeping a firm grip of his head and arms. "It will be worth it just to see the look on his face."  
  
"I must admit," Ezra remarked as he picked up Chris's black hat from the floor. "I do feel some trepidation atthis."  
  
"It’s his last few days as a bachelor!" Buck exclaimed, unable to believe that two of the bravest men he knew could be so yellow over such a harmless little joke. "He’s allowed to have some fun, ain't he?"  
  
"I am uncertain if Mr Larabee would consider this fun." Ezra pointed out. "However, I do reserve the right to point the finger in your direction if he chooses to take revenge."  
  
"Me too." Vin agreed as they backed up slowly onto the steps that would take them to the room awaiting Chris upstairs. "I'll take my licks if I gotta but I'm going Ezra's way and saying it’s your fault." The tracker said with a wicked grin.  
  
"Nice to know that I'm riding with men of character." Buck frowned.

 


	5. After Hours

Julia had no idea what time it was when she finally drove the buggy back into Four Corners. It was obviously the small of hours of the morning because there was no one on the darkened street when she and her companions returned to town. Although she was tempted to stay in Sweetwater, considering the state of Inez and Mary, Julia and Alex opted to return home. Besides, if they were to let Mary out of their sight even for a moment, there was no telling where the woman would end up. As it was, no amount of convincing by either Julia or Alex was able to convince Mary she was not kissing Chris but some stranger named Johnny Ringo.  
  
No doubt she would remember when the alcohol wore off but for the moment, Mary was so inebriated Julia had no intention leaving the woman alone. It had strained both Alex and Julia's patience to breaking point to keep Inez and Mary from wandering off and doing something they would regret in the morning.  Julia let out a sigh of relief when the buggy finally rolled into town. She decided to take Mary home first, since the widow had passed her craving for wanderlust and had now turned a decidedly uncomfortable shade of green. Alex who was tipsy herself, still had presence of mind to know Mary was not far from being violently ill and decided that getting her home was the best thing at the moment.  
  
"Come on Mary," Alex said as she and Julia helped Mary out of the buggy in front of the Clarion. Across the street, the lights to the saloon were still on although the sounds of revelry were absent.  
  
"Didn't you think Chris was just dreamy with that moustache?" Mary asked with a dazed smile when Julia took her arm as she stepped shakily out of the carriage.  
  
Upon touching the ground, her foot gave way on her and the trio struggled to maintain on their feet, while Inez giggled at the sight of them all.  
  
"Inez," Julia looked at the lady bartender sternly. "Stay where you are. You've drunk enough tequila to choke a horse." 

"I'm staying right here," Inez replied, showing Julia she was a damn sight better condition than Mary whom Alex was having to prop up while she was escorting the widow to her door.  
  
Julia glanced at the saloon as she and Alex helped Mary to the door. "I wonder if the boys are having as much fun as we are?"   
  
"We were having a pretty good time," Alex replied, refusing to let the whole night be a waste. "So our bride has a little difficulty with alcohol. If I had to marry Chris Larabee, I'd need a stiff drink too."  
  
They got Mary through the front door when Julia cast a glance at the buggy and noticed Inez was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where did she go?" Julia asked as Alex was fumbling with Mary's keys to open the door in the unlikely event some local scandalmonger saw the pillar of the community in this state.  
  
"Who?" Alex asked looking up.  
  
"Inez!" Julia exclaimed frantically, knowing what state Inez was in at this time.  
  
"Well she probably went home." Alex said finally opening the door with one hand while the other was holding onto Mary who was draped over her shoulder. "We'll look for her later. Besides, how much trouble could she get into?"

* * *

 **WARNING: Adult scene**  
  
With the party more or less over and Chris tucked away for the night, Buck decided it was time to call it a night. Vin had already left and Ezra asked him to lock up on his way out of the place once the gambler departed for his lodgings. The preparations for tomorrow's little amusement at Chris's expense was taken care of and all that was required now was for Buck to be present when the gunslinger woke the next morning. Chris was probably going to trash the hell out of him when he sobered up but Buck could not help himself.  
  
He was half way down the steps when he saw Inez walk through the doors. She was dressed in one those nice cotton dresses Mexicans tended to favour and made her look especially lovely. Buck wondered what mischief she and the ladies had been up to tonight. It must have been interesting if the late hour was any indication of it. Inez walked across the saloon and noticed him only when she was nearing the steps.  
  
"Hey Inez." Buck greeted as he continued down the stairs. "How was the bridal shower?"  
  
"Terrific." Inez smiled, staring at him in a manner that made Buck uncomfortable although he could not understand why. "I drank tequila in Sweetwater and Mary saw Chris grow a moustache."  
  
At this point, he worked out she was drunk.  
  
"I think its time we got you to bed young lady," Buck chuckled, amused by her inebriation. He would have to remind her of all the embarrassing details tomorrow. Gently, he wrapped his hand around her arm to escort her to her bedroom upstairs.  
  
God, he smelled so good, Inez thought as Buck moved next to her. Inez felt the familiar stirring inside her whenever he was close to her. How much he affected her would have surprised him if he had any idea of it. She stayed away from him because she feared getting hurt. Inez knew he loved her, she just never knew whether or not Buck loved her enough. Suddenly, what Alex asked her earlier that evening returned to haunt her and Inez questioned what was the purpose in curbing her own desires for him when it was obvious how she felt. She was a grown woman who knew how to handle her feelings about Buck Wilmington.  
  
If she wanted to indulge her desires for him, Inez could not see what was so wrong with that. Especially when he was here right now and looking as handsome as always with that intoxicating scent that pushed her closer and closer to the edge of caution.  
  
Finally Inez found she no longer cared any more.  
  
Buck became more and more aware of Inez pressing up against him as he steered her towards the steps, how her breath was moving closer to his ear until he could feel its warmth tickling his ear. Buck was just about to turn around and question what was happening when suddenly, he took note at how she was looking at him. There was only one word to describe what he saw in her eyes.  
  
Hunger.  
  
When it started, Buck Wilmington was stunned with disbelief. His mind was still reeling when he felt her arms around his neck before she pulled him to her. After so many refusals despite the most heavily mounted campaign Buck Wilmington had ever launched to win affections of any lady, this sudden surrender left him momentarily discombobulated. Inez crushed her luxurious lips against his but there was nothing tender about it. The hunger burning inside her was so fierce he could feel he  heat against his skin. Her tongue slid past his teeth, finding his own before engaging in an ancient ritual of taste that all but left him breathless.  
  
He was still too astonished by this sudden show of lust to make any suitable response when he felt her nails raking through his hair, a satisfied groan escaping her lips from the bottom of her throat. Her mouth devoured his with such ruthless intensity, Buck who was accustomed to being in control during every sexual encounter was spellbound by the demand in those silky lips. She slammed him against the wall of the empty saloon, oblivious to the fact anyone could walk in here and catch them. Somehow, the danger wrapped up with the attainment of the previously unattainable sent a surge of excitement through him that broke whatever will  he had to question this sudden turn of events.   
  
Inez felt Buck harden behind the fabric of his pants, heightening her arousal as the length of him pressed insistently against her belly through the cotten of her dress. She shuddered at its hard ridge and leaned deeper into him, because close was not enough. Meeting his gaze, Inez smiled, never wanting him more than at that moment.

To Buck, Inez never looked more beautiful or sultry. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and knew she was drunk. A part of him knew he should stop this because she was not entirely in her right mind. However, as she pulled apart his shirt and buried those perfect lips on the soft skin of his neck, the nobility was driven completely from his mind and he stopped thinking all together. 

It took a few minutes of sweet torture as her mouth did its worst against his neck for Buck to regain some measure of composure to do more than just stand there helplessly against this hard wooden surface and be taken by her. Although the idea made him so aroused, he could barely think. His hands started tugging at the dress she was wearing, needing to feel skin as she tasted his neck with her tongue, alternating between kisses and gentle nips. His erection was straining against his pants with such need Buck could only close his eyes and wallow in the exquisite sensations she was making him endure. 

God, he had known she could be passionate and fiery but he had never imagined this. Not once.  
  
Inez let her lips slid down his exposed chest, delighting in the hard muscle so many women had enjoyed before her. She did not care who had been there before her only that at this moment, she needed him to pleasure her and all other considerations were secondary. She ripped the shirt further apart, popping buttons across the floor as she exposed more skin. She was conscious of him pulling her dress above her legs and his large hands cupping her bottom, kneading into fiery conflagration, the heat between her legs already past control or sense. Running her tongue across his skin, Inez explored every curve of taut flesh, from the hollow of his neck to the small depression in the centre of his chest. She licked and tasted until she was aware he was groaning and calling her name.  
  
His nipples lay before her, elliptical shapes that begged her mouth for stimulation even though he had not spoken a word but screamed it in his reactions. Her lips glided over the rough skin and Inez heard the sharp intake of breath following the heat of her mouth enclosing them.  
  
"Christ, Inez." He whispered incoherently as she began to tease him with his tongue. Like before she was not gentle and God, he did not want her to be. He wanted her to take what she wanted from him, to make love to him instead of the other way around. She was making him so hard with her initiative he had more or less decided he wanted nothing but to let her satisfy her own desires as long as he could enjoy the ride with her. He pulled the dress over her and groaned in disappointment as her mouth left his nipples even for the slightest moment, when he slipped it over her head and tossed it aside.  
  
As always imagined, she wore very little underneath. Just a slip here and easily discarded pantalets there. Inez was hardly concerned over her nakedness as she moved to his other nipple and repeated the same torture. Buck was running his hands over her smooth back, delighting in the curves and the feel of her silky skin against his. She smelled like cinnamon and in her hair, Buck thought he scented wild flowers and everything exotic and free. He closed his eyes as he felt her teeth digging into his skin, wondering how such pleasure could be derived from pain.  
  
Her hands slid his suspenders and shirt off his broad shoulders. Despite her feverish need, Inez took time to appreciate the beauty of the man and he was beautiful. He was able to charm so many with that boyish smile even though the face that beheld it was without doubt a man. Inez loved hearing his voice, how husky it sounded even when it was not meant to be heard that way. It always sent tingles down her skin even when they argued. Her lips continued their descent, making Buck shudder with anticipation by the time she reached the soft velvet skin of his stomach. She covered him with lusty kisses, making his insides knot because she finished each tiny kiss with her tip of her tongue making contact against his skin. Her hands dropped to his hips and she began working the buttons of his pants free as she feasted on the skin pulled tight across his belly. Buck could hardly believe this attention she was lavishing on him, gaping in feral desire when she dropped to her knees.  
  
"Inez," He looked into her eyes as she loosened all the buttons of his pants and dropped the fabric around his ankles.

Inez met his gaze with a smile, her lips wet with his taste as she remained poised over his cock, aware it was simply bursting with anticipation for her mouth. Buck knew in that instant she wanted to do this to him as much as he wanted to feel her take him into her mouth.

"I love you." He whispered and she smiled even wider as if she already knew and it would change nothing.  
  
Inez engulfed him within her lips in one deep swallow. He was big, that much was not an exaggeration. She loved how he tasted as she slowly glided over his shaft, taking specific delight in laving the swollen head when she reached it. His fingers tightened their grip in her hair and Inez knew he was fighting hard to keep himself from thrusting his hips forward. Inez did not care. She wanted him to pound into her throat until she was close to gagging; she wanted his ecstasy to be absolute and his manhood to swell with such pleasure that when she finally took him, he would fill every inch of her.  
  
"Oh Jesus Christ!" Buck cried out as he felt her pulling his hips forward, until he had no choice but to follow the rhythm she had set as he pushed into the tight, wet heat of her mouth. Her nails dug into his rump as she forced him forward until all he could see was her dark hair bobbing up and down his cock. The pleasure was reaching crescendo, the pressure building until all he could feel was her mouth carrying him on a wave of ecstasy the likes of which he had never known or would ever want again.  
  
He was getting close. She could taste it in her mouth and knew if she continued this way for much longer, he would be spent before she could even begin. There was no need for her own arousal because making him a quivering mound of gasping flesh had made her so wet with desire  she felt her sex swelling with need. He was gasping openly, oblivious to where they were or who could walk in. Inez knew  she had him completely in her power but it was not quite enough. She wanted him inside her, she wanted to feel him explode inside her in a rush of orgasmic fire.  
  
Suddenly, she withdrew. Buck looked down and saw her mouth receding from the length of his shaft and almost sobbed in disappointment. He looked at her with question and saw another slow smile steal across her face as she rose to her feet and pressed her mouth against his. Her tongue diving in deep again her naked body stroked the tip of his swollen cock. The rosy head making contact with her skin forced another groan from him and Buck saw she thrilled at the sound of his arousal.  
  
Taking him by the hand, she led him to a nearby table and more or less swept everything on it aside with enough force to send it scattering a suitable distance away where it would cause no harm. Inez made him lie down against the hard wood surface and Buck understood what she wanted of him. It was no more of a surprise than anything else that happened to him tonight and he lay back on the surface almost compliantly, his hard cock extending upward awaiting attention.  
  
"Show me." He whispered lustily.  
  
"I will show you everything Buck." She replied, kissing the head of his cock with a gentle kiss before she climbed on top of him.  
  
His hands reached for her but no sooner than he tried to touch her,  Inez wrapped her hands around his wrists and forced them against the table on either side of his head. Pinning him down helplessly, she pressed her mouth against his again, delivering another searing kiss that left Buck gasping as he felt the heat of her sex rubbing up and down his belly. Her juices coated his skin and the raw desire in her eyes was reflected in her movements as she ground herself against him mercilessly.  
  
She was so wet there was little or no resistance when she mounted him. Buck closed his eyes shut, feeling the intense pressure of tight muscles gripping him as he was sheathed in her heat. Every inch of the journey inside her was pure pleasure and Buck looked at her with a smile, daring her to do her worst because he liked her being in control. Inez smiled at him and kissed him again, allowing him to become accustomed to being inside her. Buck was grateful for the chance because she felt truly wonderful and the need to start thrusting into her was overwhelming. He was not exactly a novice at this but even he was amazed at how much she eclipsed his normal sexual experience.  
  
"Make me scream Buck." She whispered, her lips wet with raw hunger as she started rocking back and forth.  
  
Buck started to groan as he felt her moving over him. She was so hot and tight he could barely breathe and each movement she made, teased his cock with such delicious pressure all he could do was groan softly. He had decided to let her take him as if he had any choice in the matter. Keeping his hands in place, Inez rode  him like a stallion, making him groan incoherently with every stroke of pleasure she was making him endure. He felt helpless in her grip and wanted nothing more than to have her do this to him forever. 

Jesus, he loved her.   
  
All those rumours and whispers she had heard about Buck Wilmington was answered for Inez as she rocked back and forth on the hard muscle currently impaled inside her. He was so far inside her she could feel him pressing hard against the barrier of flesh that allowed him to go no further. Each time Inez felt his swollen head making contact with that ending, she moaned at how perfect he felt. He filled her up so completely, she wondered what she could have been thinking staying away from his so long.  
  
Buck felt her pushing harder and harder against him, until her momentum forced his hips into a sensual rhythm with hers. Her breasts bounced lightly against his stomach, her face contorting into a mask of beatific pleasure each time he felt her bottom slap his hips when he slammed into her. After awhile, she had stopped moving, allowing him to take control as he brutally forced his cock as hard as he could into her repeatedly, until the clenching of her screamingly taut inner muscles threatened to drive all sense from his mind. Buck knew he could bear it no more and he felt himself nearing the edge of his control.  
  
Inez was even closer than that but Buck was not to know. He could only feel her muscles crushing him into submission until she could no longer maintain grip on his hands and had released them to brace herself against his chest. Buck's fingers dug into her thighs when he saw her throw her head back in ecstasy as her mane of dark hair cascaded down her back while a sheen of sweat glistened off her magnificent body. God, she was so incredibly beautiful. Seeing her reaching her peak allowed him to keep from his for a few precious seconds because he wanted to revel in the sight of it, knowing it was he who brought her there. He held her hips firmly as he kept thrusting upwards, until she was the one moaning mindlessly at what he was doing to her.  
  
"Oh Buck!" She whimpered and Buck felt her stiffen, her back straightening in his grip as her body arched sensuously. He watched it come over her and was smiling in satisfaction at her release. Impossibly, her muscles clenched even tighter around him and forced him over the abyss with her.  
  
"God, Inez!" He sang out her name as he felt himself go, his entire soul emptying into her in one final gush of orgasmic pleasure. His back arched, grinding his cock so deep into her she had more or less slumped forward from the overload of sensation. Buck kept pushing and pushing, until he had allowed every surge of passion to become trapped deep inside her. They warmed each other with hot fluids and melded together in a tangle of sweaty and panting flesh.  
  
Buck closed his eyes and let his heart stop pounding in his chest as his hands stroked her dark hair, drawing such intense pleasure from just feeling the strands under his palm he wished nothing more than to make her happy for the rest of his life. God, he loved this woman. From the first moment, he laid eyes on her, he had known his heart was lost. She lay nuzzled against his chest, rubbing her cheek against his skin as if she would purr if she was able.  
  
"Maybe we ought to continue this upstairs." He said softly, not wanting to move because her weight on top of him felt so good but Buck was painfully aware of where they were and discovery may cause him embarrassment but it would severely damage her reputation.  
  
"You think you're up to it Senor?" She teased as she slid off him languidly like a sleek cat. He watched her graceful movements as she collected her clothes and slipped her dress over her head, her undergarments still in her hand.  
  
Buck was getting another erection just thinking about an entire night. "I'm always up to it darlin." He grinned and followed her upstairs without question.

* * *

  
**THE NEXT MORNING**

  
The first thing that Inez realized when she woke up the next morning was she had possibly the worst hangover of her life. As soon as she opened her eyes, it attacked her in clanging waves of white sound that echoed in every corner of her mind. Consciousness turned her brain into a belfry and some madman was ringing the bell like it was time for Sunday mass. Inez groaned and buried her head in her pillow, trying to remember what it was she had done last night and had a vague recollection of tequila and a moustache.  
  
The second thing she realized was she was not alone in her bed.  
  
She realized it because she found her foot gently caressing a leg that was not hers and was in severe need of good waxing. Inez froze, trying to remember how she had come to be in her own bed and turned around slowly, her eyes widened as some memories started coming back. What she remembered made her wince even though judging by the satisfied feeling she felt through her body,  the experience was not entirely bad if not for one thing.  
  
_Please God, let it be anyone else but who I think it is!_  
  
She peeked over the tangle of sheets and saw him sleeping contentedly on the side of the bed that had until last night had not been occupied by anyone else, except the stray pillow she tended to tosss aside during her sleep. Buck Wilmington wore a smile on his face that screamed nothing but pure contentment as Inez's memories of the past evening became clear in her mind.  
  
Inez blushed furiously, recalling everything that transpired from the moment she walked through the doors of the saloon and found him alone to the point where she had gotten down on her knees...

Oh God. Inez dropped her head back on the pillow again, shaking her head in disbelief, unable to accept after all the resistance she put up, she could come undone by one night of inebriation. Of course the experience was perfect. She had always known it would be. In fact drunk or not, this pleasant contentment in her bones and the smile sneaking across her face at how wonderful he had made her feel was not the result of a less than satisfactory encounter. Their coupling was as fiery and exciting as she always imagined it would be. It was just that she had not been ready to bring their relationship to this point for quite some time. Now it appeared the choice had been taken out of her hands because of her own foolish  behaviour.

All she could think of as she stared at the ceiling, feeling her dilemma unfold which each returning memory, was how she could get out of this particular predicament.

* * *

  
"I've gotta go honey." A set of soft lips brushed against Chris Larabee's cheek and immediately awoke the gunslinger. He heard the rustle of movement over him and sat up just as the figure moved away from him.  
  
Chris sat up bolt upright, suddenly realizing the female voice speaking to him so tenderly was not Mary's. Wide eyed, he found himself staring at Salome, getting dressed in an outfit that looked infinitely more respectable than the one she was wearing the night before. She was putting up her hair in pins and regarded him warmly as he watched her, trying to remember how the hell he had come to be in a bedroom with her while she was looking at him as if he...as if he...  
  
God, he could not even let himself think it.  
  
"I just want you to know," she looked at him with those amazing eyes. "I had the most wonderful time last night. You were..." she paused to think of the word. "Wonderful. Your bride is one lucky woman."  
  
_And I'm one dead son of a bitch when she gets her hands on me._ Chris thought frantically as he searched around for his clothes, trying to remember how the hell he could have ended up in this position. The last thing he remembered was sitting next to Buck watching Salome perform her dance for them all. Yet he must have done something because he was here with her, with his clothes strewn over a chair and she looking at him like he had indeed spent the night with her.  
  
Oh Christ, was he in trouble!  
  
"Thanks." He managed to mumble as he staggered out of bed, slipping out of the sheets before he realized he was not entirely dressed. With less aplomb that he was normally accustomed to displaying, Chris practically snatched the sheet off the bed to cover his nudity. "I'm sorry..." he stammered. "This has to be a mistake..." He said trying to convince himself more than her.  
  
Suddenly the door slammed open with Buck and Vin bursting into the room. Both men surveyed the scene before expressions of horror drained into their faces as they regarded the situation before them.  
  
"Jesus Chris!" Buck exclaimed. "What the hell did you do?"  
  
"Nothing!" Chris declared helplessly. "I just woke up!"  
  
"In her bed?" Vin replied with similar shock and dismay. "You're getting married in less than a week!"  
  
"I _know_ that!" Chris barked, unable to fathom how he had allowed himself to fall into such terrible situation.  
  
"Don't worry Chris," Buck said magnanimously. "We'll think of something to tell Mary."  
  
"Think of something? _Nothing happened!_ " Chris declared, adamant in this fact no matter how bad things looked at the moment. He could not have done anything! He had never been _that_ out of control in his whole life.  
  
"Well I wouldn't say that honey," Salome smiled at him. "A little _something_ happened."  
  
"Will you please stop calling me that!" Chris roared, his temper finally getting the better of him. "I ain't your honey!"  
  
"That's not what you said last night."  
  
Chris stopped short and looked horrified in Buck and Vin's direction when suddenly he noticed his two friends were not quite as shocked and dismayed as they were a minute ago. In fact they were looking at him, trying their hardest to stifle their sniggers.  Vin in particular was fighting the urge to laugh as Chris saw his jaw tightening with each attempt to restrain himself. Buck however, was not that practiced at hiding his emotions. Chris saw the sparkle in his eyes as his old friend tried not to burst out into  laughter.  
  
Glancing at Salome, he saw the woman's previous distress having dissolved into amusement. His eyes narrowed at the possibility he was the victim of a practical joke and the responsible party for his being in this ridiculous state of affairs were the two men before him. Realizing the scam was up, Salome shrugged her shoulders and gave up the ruse first.  
  
"Don't worry honey," she smiled as she made her exit. "You were a perfect gentlemen."  
  
"That's good to know," Chris frowned as Vin and Buck's attempt at restraint finally gave way and the two men started to laugh loudly as Chris smouldered.  
  
"Now Chris," Buck managed to say through his loud guffaws. "You should have seen your face!"  
  
"Pard, I ain't never seen you that scared;" Vin agreed wearing the same look of mischief as he tried to control his own laughter.  
  
Chris nodded slowly as he heard Ezra's laughter further down the hallway, where the gambler had obviously been listening to the proceedings inside the room.  
  
"Okay," Chris turned to his clothes but did not reach for his pants. Instead, he reached for his gun belt and removed the peacemaker sitting in its holster, after undoing the flap.  
  
"Now come on Chris," Buck said seeing him retrieve his gun and then cocking it for effect before taking aim. "This was a joke!"  
  
Vin was already taking two steps backwards for a hasty retreat, knowing Chris well enough to guess if the man wanted revenge, he would get it. The last Chris saw of the tracker was when Vin ran out of the room yelling at Ezra, "You better run Ezra! He's armed!"  
  
"Don't worry Buck," Chris smiled sweetly. "I'll just graze you"  
  
"Oh shit!" Buck replied as Chris aimed the gun directly at him and fired. The bullet smashed into the doorway, whizzing past Buck's ears close enough to send the tall man running.  
  
Chris chased after him, still clutching his sheet as he hurried down the hallway after his friends.

* * *

  
Mary Travis did not sleep well. She did not sleep well because she woke up several times during the night. She woke up several times during the night because she was so drunk all she could do from dying was to throw up endlessly. She spent much of the night doubled over her wash basin, retching from a severe bout of alcohol poisoning and when she did not think she could throw up any more, she invariably found the reserves for a renewed bout of regurgitation.  
  
She had no idea what time it was when she staggered out of bed and decided she needed something to soothe her stomach before she started vomiting her organs too. If there was some consolation to be had in all this, it was the fact Billy was not here and neither was Chris. She vaguely remembered kissing some strange man and was mortified beyond belief at how she had become drunk enough to think he was Chris. Thank God, Julia was there.

As she stepped out into the sunshine, wearing a sunhat because it was the only way she could handle seeing any bright light, Mary made her mind up to go see Alex who she prayed had a remedy for her present situation. She had not gotten very far across the street when suddenly; she heard gunshots and froze. They were coming from the direction of the saloon. Mary turned just in time to see Buck, Ezra and Vin trailing laughter as they ran for dear life.  
  
Then she saw Chris.  
  
Chris Larabee was running after them with nothing more than a thin sheet of cotton around his waist and a gun. "Come back here you bastards!" He shouted and then stopped short in his tracks when he saw Mary staring at him in astonishment.  
  
Bride and groom regarded each other for a moment.  
  
"I can explain." Chris said when he neared her enough to speak. His face was crimson with embarrassment while her expression was one of stunned amazement.  
  
After everything that happened to her last night, Mary suddenly realized if they were to hold each other accountable, it would be hard to say who was more guilty of inappropriate behaviour.

"You know something Chris," she said after thinking about it. "I've got a proposition for you."

Chris looked at her; surprised she was not having his guts for garters. "I'm listening."  
  
"If you never ask me what I did last night, I won't ask you what this is about."   
  
Chris considered her words and found he was hardly in a position to argue, considering he was standing before her almost naked in the middle of the street.  
  
"Done." He said firmly.  
  
"Good," Mary nodded and stepped away. "I'll see you at dinner tonight."  
  
"Okay." Chris agreed and with that both went their separate ways. 

 


	6. And the Walls came Tumbling Down

She was waiting for him for most of the morning.  
  
The wagon where he lived was kept in a discreet location in town, away from the prying eyes of Four Corners but still close enough to the community for him to be a part of it. People had become so accustomed to seeing it, that it was jarring when it was _not_ there. Like the seven men who guarded Four Corners, the wagon had become commonplace, a town fixture since the arrival of the lawmen.  
  
It had not taken much inquiry for Charlotte Richmond to find the wagon. When they first met, Vin told her about the small piece of home he took with him everywhere. Within the faded canvas and rickety wood was everything that meant anything to Vin Tanner. Everything within defined what he was, just like the mobility of the wagon bespoke his inherently untamable spirit.  
  
Charlotte loved he could be so free and knew he needed to be out there again because the attachments of Four Corners were slowly binding him with invisible shackles. She knew if she could only speak to him. He would understand.  
  
She knew he still loved her. Despite that terrible confrontation in town with his fiancee, Charlotte could hardly bring herself to say the word; she saw the conflict in his eyes as he wrestled with his heart to do what was right. Charlotte knew Vin well enough to know he would do the honourable thing because it was in his nature. She understood he would rather deny his feelings for her because he had made commitments elsewhere. She had to convince him that there was nothing wrong in walking away from something if it gave him no happiness. Had not Mary Travis once said to her, one had to grab whatever happiness there was? Vin probably had deep feelings for his doctor but they could not possibly compare to what he felt for her, Charlotte was certain of that.  
  
The doctor was beautiful and rich but she was not the kind of woman that should be allowed to keep Vin Tanner's affection. As Charlotte thought of all the reasons why he would be harming himself irrevocably by remaining with Alexandra Styles, she could also think of several reasons why Vin would be so much happier with her. After all, they were the same, desiring no one to tether them to anything. Charlotte once believed having a piece of land and a husband was all she needed to be happy but since meeting Vin, she saw a new way of life. He had shown her freedom in the unknown and Charlotte knew if she could only convince him to abandon his misguided notion he loved the doctor more than he loved her, they could explore it together.  
  
Still it would not be easy trying to sever a bond months in the building. Charlotte had made discreet inquiries around town regardinhg the nature of Vin's relationship with Doctor Styles and discovered he had been her second choice. Styles had taken up with the gambler first and only after he  rejected her, did she turn her affections to Vin. It infuriated Charlotte to know Vin was being used so callously and it was terribly easy for someone as beautiful as Styles to trick Vin, who was never confident around women, to believe he loved her. Besides, how could she possibly love a man who had not one skerrick of the advantages she had? Although she would be considered coloured, she was highborn wherever she hailed from. The doctor had money and an education. How could someone so well favoured love someone like Vin? He was her inferior in every way.  
  
Charlotte decided Styles was just using Vin, using him because he was convenient. As long as she showed Vin the correct amount of affection, she need never worry about him impressing his will on her or making the demands a husband might make. In fact, the more Charlotte thought about it, the more obvious it became to her Alexandra Styles was merely using Vin to satisfy a physical need, not an emotional one.  
  
Somehow, Charlotte had to convince him of it!

* * *

  
It was almost midmorning when Vin finally made his way to the wagon. Charlotte heard the snide whispers by some of the more gossip mongering members of the community he did not spend his nights alone. She felt her stomach hollow at the thought of his making love to Doctor Styles and knew she had to do something! She could not go back to her old life and Vin was her future.  
  
"Vin." Charlotte called out as he walked past her. She had remained out of sight the past few days, until she decided what to say to him, it was best they did not meet. Besides, he needed to calm down after that terrible encounter where passions had been running deep and words had been spoken in anger by all of them.  
  
Vin wondered where she disappeared to the last few days despite the fact that while she was out of sight; she was never out of his mind. The fate of Charlotte Richmond bothered him a great deal even though he had no idea what he wanted to do about it. Buck and Ezra was right, he did love Alex and it was a love he was unprepared to throw away but he felt some measure of responsibility to Charlotte, particularly after she had walked away from her husband to come find him.  
  
"How you doing Charlotte?" He asked gently, knowing it was time for them to have it all out, now they were both a great deal calmer.  
  
"I'm fine." She smiled approaching him. Her eyes gazed at the wagon in the back street and added. "You still got your little piece of home?"  
  
Vin smiled faintly. "Ain't got no roof over my head without it."   
  
The awkwardness between them was as thick as the tension threatening to choke them both. Vin stared long and hard at Charlotte, remembering in an instant what it was like to kiss those lips and to run his fingers through her red hair. He remembered that night over the prairie where it had just been them and the stars overhead. A gush of feeling escaped him at that moment and he could tell she was experiencing similar thoughts. Why was it so hard to just walk away? Vin asked himself.  
  
Because he loved her once.  
  
Charlotte was the first woman he had loved in a long time, who loved him for what he was. It was hard to forget the passion they felt for each other and in a small way, he still loved her and supposed he always would.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry things ain't worked out the way you wanted."  
  
"Its okay," she gestured for him to stop. She did not need his pity. "I should not have expected you to wait for me. When we parted the last time, it was quite final. There was no reason for you to believe I would be coming back."  
  
"I thought you were gone forever," Vin swallowed trying hard to hide how much her leaving hurt him, even though he was the one who told her to go. At the time, it seemed the right thing to do but the months following her departure had been an open wound in his heart. There were moments when he wanted to get on his horse and go find her, to steal her away from her husband and continue riding to Brazil like they planned.  
  
"I thought so too." She responded with similar difficulty. "I tried for as long as I could to be a good wife to Will but it wasn't the same any more. Nothing was, after you." Her gaze met his and Vin found himself becoming lost in the tragic beauty of those eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Charlotte said quickly, aware her display was upsetting him. "I wish you all the happiness Vin." She paused and then added, "your Doctor Styles is a good woman I hear."  
  
"She is." Vin nodded. "I love her."  
  
"She must be very fond of you." Charlotte responded. "I mean the woman she is and all."  
  
Vin looked up at her because there was an under lying tone to the remark that prompted his curiosity. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I didn't mean anything," she apologized, pleased she had struck a nerve because it only proved he was not as secure about the relationship as he liked everyone to think. "I just said I'm glad she is fond of you, I mean she is extremely well bred and educated. She just looked to me like the kind of woman who should be in society that's all. You kind of expect someone like that to be married to a fancy lawyer or another doctor."  
  
"Alex ain't like that." Vin said defensively, not knowing why. "She don't believe in marrying someone cause he's important or has money. She follows her heart and its here in Four Corners where she can help people, not in the city where no one gives a damn about anyone else."  
  
"I'm glad." Charlotte replied reaching for his hand to show him no offence was intended against the pristine reputation of the good doctor. "It would kill you if she ever decided to go back to it."  
  
"Why should she?" Vin questioned again. Whether intentional or not, Charlotte's probings were making him uncomfortable. "She likes it here and we're engaged to be married."   
  
"Well Vin," she tried to pacify him, aware she was pushing all the right buttons and was aiming to take full advantage of it. "I guess congratulations are in order." The words sounded sour in her mouth but Charlotte had a strategy in mind so she swallowed the bile in her throat at the idea of his marrying someone else and forced herself to make the salutation with as much genuine sincerity she could muster. "When is the date?"  
  
"I don't know," Vin replied, seemingly distracted. "I got this bounty on my head and I ain't marrying no one until that's taken care of."  
  
"She can't be too happy about that." Charlotte pointed out. "I know if it were me, I would not be."  
  
"Alex is fine with it." He insisted. "She knows things are the way they are. She's okay with it."  
  
"How terribly convenient for her." Charlotte said with just enough tension in her voice to stab at Vin's paranoia once more.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Vin asked. These were questions he never asked himself. How was it that Alex had such an easy attitude to his situation? Most women would be chewing at the bit at the uncertain way their relationship unfolded. Instead, Alex had not been the one to press him about marriage or the engagement. It was only under threat to her reputation and her practice that the topic was brought up.  
  
"I'm sorry Vin," Charlotte started to walk away, aware she had given him enough food for thought to reach his own conclusions. Besides, her part in this had to be carefully measured. She did not want to seem as if she were casting aspersions in his relationship because he would see her interpretation of things as some way of getting him back. "I just wanted to wish you and Doctor Styles the best. I'll be leaving in the next few days."  
  
"Leaving?" Vin looked at her sharply, unaware she had anywhere to go. He caught her hand as she attempted to leave and forced her to stay for the moment. "Where will you go?"  
  
"I don't know," Charlotte said shrugging her shoulders. "I just know I can't stay here while you're with her, despite everything, and not be able to say a word or to be a friend to you."  
  
Vin did not understand. "We'll always be friends Charlotte." He replied, even though he was more interested in hearing what she had meant by the word convenient. "Why do you think staying here will make that impossible? It may not be the same between us but I can help you, so can Mary and the others."  
  
"A friend has to be honest Vin and I can't be." She swallowed; meeting his eyes so he would see how difficult this was for her.  
  
"There ain't never been any secrets between us Charlotte." Vin said tenderly, unable to endure seeing those green eyes fill with tears, even now. It wrenched his heart to pieces as it had done when he used to hear her rushing away from her husband after their most recent argument. All he could think of was stopping those tears because each sob was an icicle stabbing his insides. "Tell me."  
  
"I love you Vin," she whispered softly, her hand moving to his cheek. "I will always love you and I love you enough to let you go. I know what I said earlier when I saw you two together but it was just the anger talking, I swear to you."  
  
"I know that." Vin replied, reaching for her hand on his face and holding it in place. "I know you wouldn't hurt me."  
  
"You've given your heart to her but I can't stand it for so many reasons." Charlotte continued. "Mostly because I wish it were me but for a lot of reasons you can't see and it is not my place or right to show them to you. I want you to be happy with her and if I say what's on my mind, you won't be. I'm begging you to let me go. You don't need to know what I think. It isn't important to no one but you, how much you love her and that's all that should matter. Its probably just my jealousy talking anyway."  
  
She tried to pull away but her words had well and truly had the desired effect. Almost slowly, he asked her. "I want to know Charlotte. What do you think is going on between me and Alex?"  
  
"I think she's using you." Charlotte responded automatically, once permission was given. "I think you're convenient because you'd never really effect her life. Think about it, she don't need you for money, she knows marriage is far away until this bounty is settled, so she can walk away any time she likes and I gather you share her bed, so that need is satisfied too. She's got a man to love her and support her without being married, so she can do anything she wants because you don't matter enough to her life to really make a difference, beyond the sex and the company." She held nothing back and watched the blue of his eyes change to black as her words sunk in, until it spread across the rest of him like cancer.  
  
Vin let her go and stepped back, staring at Charlotte hard because this was just a concoction to split him and Alex apart. He glared at her, seeking the weakness to tell him her words were borne of malice and jealousy, anything but the truth.

"You're wrong." Vin said firmly and somewhat defiantly. Alex loved him. There was no doubt in his mind of that. "I ain't just some toy to her. We got plans for the future."  
  
"I told you to let it go." Charlotte whispered. "It doesn't matter what I think. If you say she loves you, then she loves you! I don't factor into this Vin. I love you and I always will love you but you don't belong to me any more. You belong to her."  
  
"I don't belong to anyone!" He snapped with uncharacteristic anger, unable to deny Charlotte's opinion had shaken him because she managed to tap into secret fears he had harboured from the very first time he saw Alex. It was these exact reasons that held him back when she first came to town, allowing Ezra to win her hand first.  Charlotte's words though innocent, were bringing them to surface and now Vin found himself unable to brush them aside. Suddenly, he wanted to know why Alex wanted to be with him when it was so obvious that he would never be quite good enough for her. What exactly did she see in him?  
  
"Vin I didn't mean to upset you," she said coming towards him again because his expression had become a strained look of pain she felt somewhat guilty for inflicting. Although Charlotte knew she was perfectly justified in making him see the truth, she still did not wish to cause him such distress either.  
  
"I gotta go." He said breaking away from her because his mind was whirling with unpleasant possibilities and the more he tried to disregard them as nonsense, the more firmly they rooted themselves into his head. He felt it digging into his flesh, like claws working slowly themselves into his mind, refusing to let him know any peace.  
  
"Of course," Charlotte responded in complete understanding as Vin strode away, feeling a little guilty for what she had done. However the guilt faded away in the face of what she was able to accomplish. No doubt she would be held accountable one day but right now, she had no choice. She was driven to this because she loved him.  
  
To get Vin Tanner back, Charlotte Richmond was willing to do anything.

* * *

  
He had been watching the subject for most of the day.  
  
The client had been correct. The subject was indeed an important woman. Not only was she editor of the Clarion News, what passed for the main source of local information, judging by the content of that particular newspaper, she was an educated woman who was a champion of numerous causes. He realized she had a great number of friends, not only in the form of Chris Larabee and his six lawmen but also in the community. Hers would not be a death forgotten easily.  
  
He could see why Ella Gaines was so determined to have Mary Travis eliminated. The woman was not only exceedingly beautiful with her flaxen coloured hair and blue-grey eyes but there was also strength of character in her perfect features. Chris Larabee had chosen well when he gave his heart away and the Jack of Spades was starting to reconsider the ramifications of what would ensue following his completion of the contract.  
  
However he decided to make the hit, he knew with absolute certainty there could be nothing leading back to him. If there was even the slightest evidence of anything being inadvertently be traced back to him, he knew Larabee would hunt him down with ruthless determination. After Ella Gaines contracted him, he made inquiries about her and Chris Larabee. It did not surprise him to learn Gaines had occasion to hire another assassin once before and Cletus Fowler whom he knew to be a small time operator had done his job well. Larabee's wife and child died in a fire because Gaines paid for it to be done.  
  
He wondered if she was present during that act of murder just as she intended to be for this one.  
  
All he knew was, he would complete the assignment as expediently as possible and disappear for awhile. Perhaps even take that trip to the east he was planning for some time. In either case, when Larabee learnt the death of Mary Travis and her young son was anything but accidental, the gunslinger would hunt down their killers just as he had hunted down Cletus Fowler and killed him.  
  
Which was why the Jack as Spades would move tonight. After studying her closely for the past two days since his arrival in town, he was confident he was familiar enough with the woman's habits to know when would be the opportune time to strike. The operation was slightly trickier since Gaines demanded to be present when the killing was to take place. Therefore, he could not simply enter the house in the dead of night and give the duo a painless death, as he would have preferred to do. Instead, he was forced to purchase a wagon in order to spirit the two targets away in the dead of night to an undisclosed location so Ella Gaines could make herself known to Mary Travis before the end came.  
  
Despite himself, the assassin was unhappy by this particular assignment, knowing there was more to this situation then just murder. He tried not to get entangled in the trivialities of the contract, such as knowing the why of it all. It made it simpler if he was able to just do the job without having to listen to the justification behind it. Still, Four Corners was a small town and with a man like Chris Larabee to take into consideration, the Jack of Spades had to care because Larabee would not just another angry husband, like the slew of angry husbands left behind when he killed their wives. To be efficient, it was necessary to learn what he could about Mary Travis.  
  
He had to admire her even though he would be responsible for taking her life and that of her son's. There were not many women who could hold their own in the Territory and raise a child but Mary Travis had succeeded while having to endure the loss of a husband and the management of his business in the wake of his demise. The assassin thought it might be quite something to know this woman in private life, if it were not for this unfortunate situation where he had to kill her. He supposed the best he could do for her when the time came was to see to it that she at least had a painless death.  
  
And time was coming sooner than she might possibly imagine.

* * *

  
Buck Wilmington was confused.  
  
He knew he experienced the most perfect night of his life with the woman he loved the evening before. In the darkness of her room, they enjoyed the most searing sexual encounter he had ever known and it surprised him somewhat they had not set the sheets on fire by the heat they generated. He knew when he finally fallen asleep with her in his arms, Inez was the _one_.  
  
Of all the women he had met in his life, none had been able to capture his imagination the way Inez Recillos had. When she looked at him with those perfect eyes of hers, he sometimes felt he was going to melt in his boots and yet she resisted him like no one had resisted him. Despite his best efforts to charm and seduce her, nothing had happened between them and eventually Buck gave up trying. He still could not believe she had just walked into the saloon the night before and made love to him with such intense passion he had yet to recover from the experience. All day, even after Chris had almost shot his ear off in the wake of the practical joke he had played on the groom, Buck had been sighing with contentment like a cat who finally got the cream. When he left Inez that morning, she was still asleep and he reminded himself to bring her flowers the next time he came back. Except she was nowhere to be found. Ezra mentioned she had errands to run and every time Buck called into the saloon, she was not at her customary place behind the bar or serving customers. While he mentioned nothing to the others about their encounter last night, his friends could tell something was happening, even though they weren't entirely certain what that might be.  
  
Finally Buck decided the only way to see Inez was to park himself by the counter at the bar of the Standish Saloon and wait her out.  
  
She had to appear eventually.  
  
Ezra, who was sitting at the table with Josiah and J.D., found it hard to ignore, as did the rest of the men present, at Buck's distracted state of mind. Although none of them approached the man on the subject of his problem, they all had some idea of its cause.  
  
Although the trio were playing cards, pretending to be completely nonchalant to Buck's predicament, it was hard not to notice when Buck was drumming his fingers against the hard surface, drawing more attention to himself by trying to look at ease when he obviously was not.  
  
"That's it," J.D. said throwing a surreptitious look at Buck's direction before staring back at his cards once more. "I'm going to ask him what's wrong." The young man prepared to stand up when Josiah said firmly.  
  
"Sit down J.D." Josiah ordered.  
  
"Mr Dunne, this is one situation Buck is going to have to deal with himself." Ezra said good-naturedly.  
  
Although he did not know the specifics, he assumed it was the same reason Inez was ignoring Buck all day.  
  
Each time Inez saw Buck coming into the saloon, the woman had made a hasty exit through any means possible to avoid a face to face confrontation with Buck. At first Ezra was at a loss to understand why she was taking such great pains but the more he saw the hidden anxieties in her body language, the more the mystery began to unravel. Finally, Ezra had a good idea what was driving both Inez and Buck to such distraction although he was certain the common denominator had generated completely different reactions from both of them.  
  
Still, Ezra remained silent even though both Josiah and J.D. were dying to know. Suddenly, Inez walked through the door and the trio watched her pause at the batwing entrance, her eyes searching the length and breadth of the establishment until they rested on Buck Wilmington's back. For a moment, she lingered on the edge of leaving again before finally choosing to continue inside the building after a second of deliberation. Ezra could actually see the indecision in her face until she made her choice. Finally, she took a deep breath as if coming to a conclusion she did not like, clutching the basket in her hand tighter as she entered the saloon, her face depicting resolve in some unknown purpose as she finally strode forward.  
  
Inez did not know what to say to him.  
  
She knew he had been trying to see her all day and she had not been ready to face him at the time. In truth, Inez was still unprepared to see Buck even now but knew she could delay this no longer. He was waiting by the bar, obviously hoping to see her as he had been attempting to do for most of the day. Inez felt a little guilty for avoiding him but she was a jumble of emotions at this point. She enjoyed their lovemaking last night, even though it had required her to be drunk to permit it. While much of what happened was hazy, how he had made her feel was not. The experience had been as she always imagined, fiery and wonderful but in the light of day, Inez was uncertain she was ready to begin a relationship with Buck Wilmington.  
  
"Hello Buck." Inez announced herself quietly as she approached.  
  
Buck spun around on his stool at the sound of her voice. "Where the hell have you been?" He gushed as soon as he saw her. "I've been trying to see you all day!"  
  
"I had things to do," Inez said evasively as she continued walking towards the kitchen. She was aware Ezra, J.D. and Josiah were trying very hard not to eavesdrop but their natural curiosity at the drama unfolding was eroding that resolve away. As expected, Buck hurried after her and they were soon given some measure of privacy from the eyes of the crowd upon entering the kitchen.  
  
"Jeez Inez," Buck grumbled when they were finally alone. "I thought after last night..." He stepped forward, reaching to hold her in his arms when she stepped away as if afraid of his touch.  
  
"Buck," Inez cleared her throat, searching for the best way to say this considering the hurt that flashed across his face when she recoiled from him. "Last night was what it was. Let's not make it any more than that."  
  
"Are you kidding me?" He stared at her open mouthed, unable to believe what he was hearing. Unfortunately, it sounded very much like the speech of farewell he delivered to his stable of women when his interest had faded or it was time to move on to his next conquest. The words were almost identical except he was not the one delivering it but rather the one hearing it. "You're telling me last night was just a one night stand? You want me to forget it?" Buck's stammered, trying to hide the pain that was breaking his heart even as he stood before her; unable to fathom how she could disregard what had happened between them so easily.  
  
"Buck," Inez said trying to sound as if this was not tearing her apart as well. "We both had a good time and it was very nice. Can't we just leave it at that?" She pleaded, wishing he could just accept it and make it easier on both of them.  
  
"Nice?" Buck said slowly. "You called what we went through last night was _nice_?"  
  
"Buck, I don't want to talk about this any more." Inez retorted impatiently, hating this whole discussion and more truthfully, hating herself for allowing it to happen in the first place. With that, she walked out of the kitchen again, deciding she really did not want to be in the saloon today. For once, Ezra could take care of things. Maybe she could hide at Mary's for awhile, she did not care where as long as she was not here.  
  
"Inez!" Buck called out as he followed out to the floor of the saloon again. His outburst captured everyone's attention as regulars paused to observe the latest chapter of the Buck Inez romance that never quite seem to happen. Buck did not care who was listening. His mind was still unable to grasp what she just said to him. After what they shared the night before, she could not seriously expect him to just forget it, could she? "How can you just ignore what happened?"  
  
"Buck," Inez blushed furiously, not wishing to discuss this in such a public arena. However, it appeared she would have to since he was not about to let the issue rest. "It was..." she searched for the word and found her original estimation to be satisfactory. "Nice. Let's just get over it okay?"  
  
"A night with me is not NICE!" Buck hissed through gritted teeth and immediately invoked laughter all across the room. He could just imagine what they were thinking. The great ladies man, Buck Wilmington humbled by the word NICE. Only Ezra, Josiah and J.D. did not laugh. They were too stunned for that.

Inez blushed, visibly horrified at their private discussion becoming a matter of public consumption. Her face turned crimson with embarrassment and there was a moment when Buck almost thought she might slap him or something. Instead, she glared at him with great dignity, her hair flouncing off her shoulders as she turned on her heels and left the saloon, head held high as always, leaving Buck in a total state of shock.  
  
For a moment, he just stood in the middle of the saloon, trying to understand what just happened and finding after a few seconds he could not explain it,  not to himself or anyone else for that matter. Finally, he walked to the table Ezra and the others were occupying, almost in a daze. Buck sat down heavily at the nearest vacant chair unaware his friends were burning with curiosity since it was now fairly evident to all what had taken place between himself and Inez.  
  
For a moment, he could not speak and knew somewhere fate was having a great deal of fun at his expense. After everything that happened the night before, was that all it meant to her? Nice? His recollection of the evening was nothing so mundane. To him, it had been perfect. He remembered how sweet she had tasted, her sighs in his ear, her nails raking his back as she cried out her name in utter abandon...how could she call that _nice_? It was not nice! It was hot and steamy and all the things he had dreamed being with her would be.  
  
_Anything but nice!_  
  
"I don't believe this." Buck mused, his voice little more than a whisper.  
  
"You okay Buck?" Josiah asked gently, aware of what a profound upset this was to the ego of Buck Wilmington.  
  
"I'm fine." Buck replied unable to say anything else because his mind was still too shocked by what just happened. He did not know which was worse. The fact she saw their night together as just a physical encounter, not the expression of the love he always felt for her or that she thought the experience was nice. Nice was something you said when asked to describe a painting you didn't like or when someone asked you if a dress was becoming or not. It was not the word to describe the most searing sexual experience of his life.  
  
"I'm sure Inez meant nice in a good way." J.D. declared trying to help but invariably making everything worse. His remark caused Josiah to groan in reaction and Ezra to wince in similar exasperation.  
  
"I'm going to say this only once," Buck leaned forward with a look in his eyes that could only be described as venomous "IT WAS NOT NICE!"  
  
With that, the big man jumped out of his chair and stormed out of the room.  
  
J.D. looked at his two older companions in confusion. "But nice is good right?"  
  
Josiah rolled his eyes and remarked with a sigh of resignation. "Just play cards, kid."

* * *

  
Alexandra Styles was surprised to see Vin stepping into her office. He normally kept out of her clinic during the day because he knew she rarely had time to stop and chat with patients coming in and out of the building at regular intervals. Fortunately, he appeared during the interlude between appointments, so his arrival was not only welcome but an appreciated break from the working day ahead. Besides, despite his assurances he was fine with Charlotte's presence in town, Alex knew Vin was having real difficulty trying not to feel responsible for her situation.  
  
"Hey cowboy," she stepped out from behind her desk to greet him as he entered the room. Greeting him with a kiss, Alex slipped her arm through his as she led him towards the stairs leading to her residence upstairs.  
  
"Hi Darlin'." He said quietly which was not unusual for him because Alex knew Vin was not a talker. Sometimes, they would just lay in each other's arm listening to their heartbeats, knowing words were not required because that was the kind of relationship they had.  
  
"To what do I owe this visit?" She asked as they proceeded up the stairs. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Can I just come by and see you?" He looked at her and suddenly, Alex noticed something in his eyes she had never seen before. It reminded her of the days before Agnes Doherty's cabin when there was so much hidden behind his eyes. It made her nervous.  
  
"Of course you can. I never said you couldn't. Its just that I have patients.."  
  
"I guess you wouldn't want me hanging around until you needed me." He muttered under his breath but Alex still heard him. 

"What is that supposed to mean Vin?" Alex stopped short and disengaged herself from him to meet his eyes. "You're the one who decided you didn't want to walk in on my patients when I'm treating them."  What on Earth had gotten under his skin so much?  
  
"Nothing," Vin shrugged, knowing he was being foolish. "Its nothing. I've just been thinking that's all."  
  
"Well," Alex smiled, feeling her anger wane slightly. "Don't think so much, that will help straight away."   
  
"I ain't dumb you know." He retorted sharply.  
  
It took a second for Alex to realize he had actually taken her seriously. They had indulged in this kind of gentle teasing for as long as they knew each other. Not once was any of it ever taken as offence, not then and certainly not now. Yet as he stood before her at the top of the stairs, jaw set in defiance, Alex could tell he was angry and not just because of this, because of something else that went deeper than she knew. Alex stepped away from Vin, unable to fathom what had brought on such behaviour from him.  
  
"I thought I'm the one who was supposed to get irritable once a month." She declared. "What is the matter with you?"  
  
"I ain't dumb and I can't just disappear when you don't need me." Vin declared, allowing the full torrent of his insecurities, inspired by what Charlotte had said, to flow freely. He knew he would probably regret it but as he looked at Alex now, he was more convinced Charlotte was right. Look at her! Alexandra Styles was a lady and a doctor. What in God's green Earth would she want with him? If Ezra couldn't do right by her, how on Earth was he expected to?  
  
"Vin, where is this coming from?" Alex demanded, unable to believe he was saying this. "I never said you were dumb and I sure as hell don't expect you to disappear and just for the record, I need you all the time. I love you."  
  
Her words had some effect of calming him down but not the ability to remove the root of his troubles.

"Why do you love me Alex?" He looked at her, wishing she could explain it so he could believe her without a shred of doubt. The idea he might just be convenient to her choice of life was too horrifying to imagine.  
  
Alex blinked.

"Why do I love you?" She pause a moment as she tried to control the pain engendered by that question. "After everything you and I have been through, you can ask me that?"  
  
"Yeah," he nodded slowly. "Cause I need to know Alex. I need to know what it is about me that makes me better than the next man. I ain't got any money or future.  I got this price on my head that chances are someone will come to collect sooner or later. Why do you want me? You can do better than a dumb ass drifter like me."  
  
"I don't care about money or the future!" She shouted in exasperation. "I never did! I love you for a thousand reasons I'll never be able to explain and I shouldn't have to! What in God's name has made you question everything we mean to each other?"  
  
Then it hit her and in retrospect, it was obvious. Only one thing had changed during the past few days to make him evaluate their relationship through a magnifying glass like this. Meeting his eyes directly, Alex asked Vin the question that would explain everything.

"Have you seen Charlotte today?"  
  
"Charlotte has got nothing to do with this." Vin declared defensively, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about his former lover's name being brought up.  
  
Alex stiffened and took a step away from him. "What did she say to you?"  
  
"She didn't say anything." Vin suddenly had a premonition he was on the fast track to a very bad situation between himself and the woman he loved. The thing was, it appeared they had crossed a point of no return and there was no stopping it until it reached its end, no matter what the consequences.  
  
"She said enough for you to question everything we have meant to each other!" Alex fairly roared. "So what the hell did she say to you?"  
  
Vin stared at her, shocked by the fury in her words. He had not seen her this angry in a long time and certainly not at him. Alex glared at him, hands on her hips with a look in her eyes he knew very well. She was spoiling for a fight and Charlotte had surfaced enough insecurity inside him for Vin to give her one.

"Nothing that wasn't true!" He barked back, severing the last moorings keeping things civilized.  
  
"Like what!" She demanded, feeling enough rage to find Charlotte Richmond wherever she was and ripping the bitch apart. How dare she manipulate Vin like this?  
  
"Am I just here for the sex?"   
  
The question had the impact of a physical blow. She reeled from its delivery, unable to believe he could tear down everything about their relationship and make it sound so cheap and tawdry. Alex had to fight the tears that wanted to come from his just being able to think such a thing. She swallowed hard, meeting his gaze with eyes of stone before she said very simply. "Get out."  
  
As soon as the words left his mouth, Vin knew he made a dreadful mistake. The pain he saw in her eyes as she stood before him tore out his heart and he wanted nothing but to beg her forgiveness.

"Alex..." He opened his mouth to apologize.  
  
"I said get out." She spoke through gritted teeth.  
  
"Alex, I didn't mean it. ." he tried to explain. It was starting to dawn on Vin just how much that foolish statement was about to cost him. The pain in her eyes was beyond his ability to describe as was the disgust at how he could have allowed Charlotte Richmond to tumble down the walls of all the trust and love they shared these past months. How could he doubt her like that?  
  
"Yes you did!" Alex started to descend into the full abyss of her agony. "You think I keep you around because you're so great in bed? Is that what you think? If that's all it takes for that two timing cow to make you question everything we mean to each other in one afternoon, then I don't want you! Do you hear me!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door. Vin was too horrified to protest as Alex shoved him through. "You can go back to Charlotte since you rather believe her than you do me! You hear me Vin Tanner! I don't want you!"  
  
With that, Vin had the door slammed in his face.  
  
He stood there for a second, hearing the sound of her footsteps disappear as she walked away from the door only to be replaced by sobbing not long after. It hit him like a splash of cold water what he had done. Charlotte was right, Alex was too good for him and if anything proved that more clearly, it was his actions of a moment ago. How could he have been so stupid to walk into a trap so perfectly laid out for him?  
  
In any case, it mattered no more. It was over.

* * *

  
Alex was trying hard not to cry but she could not help it. God, even when she found out about Ezra and Julia Pemberton, it had not hurt like this. It was like a thousand knives stabbing into her heart and she could do nothing but simply endure it. She started sobbing without being aware there was moisture on her cheeks. She stopped at the banister leading down to her clinic and wept openly because she did not know what else to do. Of all the things that could have broken her in her lifetime, this one had the power to do the most damage.  
  
She could not imagine life without him and worst of all she did not want to. Vin was everything to her since that night in Agnes Doherty's cabin. She had fought her feelings for him but even she had known then how hopelessly lost she would be once she submitted to it. Alex knew she could not recover from losing him as she had lost Ezra. What she felt for the gambler paled in comparison to the undying love she felt for Vin. Still felt for him. Charlotte had poisoned his mind and if he could believe such a web of deceit after all they had been through together, Alex did not hold much hopes for their future.  
  
She had to get out of here. Get far away from this town so she could think, recover from the fury. Maybe she might not even come back...

* * *

  
Mary Travis glanced at the clock on her side table and saw it was well past midnight but she still could not sleep. It was hard to believe what had taken place in the last twenty four hours and the knowledge of what transpired today left her feeling restless and unable to relax enough to drift into slumber. Was it only last night she had been sitting at a table in Sweetwater, enjoying her bridal shower with her closest friends? It seemed so far away now and Mary was still gripped with disbelief at how quickly things could disintegrate.  
  
Inez spent most of the day hiding inside Mary's house and the lady's state of mind was precarious to say the least. For a few hours, Mary could not pries the truth from Inez no matter how much cajoling and coaxing she attempted. Inez was so distraught and mortified by the ugly confrontation between herself and Buck she was close to tears. As far as Mary was concerned, there was little that could shatter Inez's inner strength so irrevocably, so she was hardly surprised when the entire story came tumbling out over how Inez encountered Buck last night and how they spent the night together.  
  
While Mary did not think that this was the worse thing in the world, Inez obviously did. The editor of the Clarion was of the belief Buck Wilmington truly did love her best friend, even though he behaved like a philandering oaf most times. It appeared to Mary Buck would commit himself to Inez completely if they could just come to an understanding about their relationship. That Inez loved Buck was never a question in Mary's mind. It was obvious the lady bartender cared most deeply for the lawman but was wise enough to keep her distance, lest she got hurt.  
  
However, what took place between them the night before had altered all the parameters of their relationship. Until then, they were locked in comfortable sparring; knowing how they felt for one another but not quite committed to take that final step. Unfortunately, it had been taken prematurely now and for the worst of reasons. Judging from Inez's frantic ramblings as Mary fed her cup after cup of chamomile tea to calm her down, Inez was unprepared to deal with a relationship with Buck Wilmington.  
  
"I hurt him Mary." She cried. "I saw it in his eyes and I knew I _really_ hurt him."  
  
Mary had tried to be supportive. "You did what was right for you. I'm sure Buck understands that."  
  
"No he doesn't!" She exclaimed, descending into more tears. Inez was right.  
  
According to what Chris would tell Mary later on during dinner, Buck was far from understanding. Chris himself was concerned because Buck had not fallen so hard for any woman since Alice, almost thirteen years ago. Mary was hardly surprised because Buck always cared for Inez.  He had been willing to fight Don Paulo to save her even though he hardly knew her. He always claimed it to be a point of honour to fight that duel but every one of the seven and Mary included, knew it was not true.  
  
Chris's advice had been to let Inez and Buck deal with things on their own and as much as Mary hated admitting it, he was right. All she could do for Inez was offer her support in whatever her friend chose to do but the rest of it was firmly in Inez's purview. She was a grown woman who needed no one to tell her how to feel about anything, least of all Mary who was as much in the dark about such things as any one else. When Chris left and told her everything would be all right and their friends would sort themselves out, Mary almost believed him.  
  
Until Alexandra Styles turned up on her door and told Mary she was leaving town for awhile. At first, Mary stared at the doctor in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend what Alex was trying to tell her. If Inez was in bad shape then impossibly, Alex was even worse. Mary who was accustomed to seeing Alex in control of her faculties no matter what the crisis, was astonished to see Alex sobbing openly as she explained to Mary in disjointed sentences why she had to leave Four Corners for a time.  
  
As expected, somewhere in the conversation, Charlotte's name emerged.

Mary felt a surge of anger hearing how Charlotte filled Vin's head with all kinds of foolish ideas, no doubt preying on insecurities he always possessed about his relationship with Alex and exploited them. Mary listened in disbelief as Alex related how unkind and angry Vin had been and what was the final remark that sent Alex over the edge and led her to throw him out of her house.  
  
Mary did not know what to say, understanding Alex's anger completely because Charlotte had managed to undo in one afternoon what it had taken months for Vin and Alex to build together. All the trust created between them now lay in ashes in the wake of Charlotte's manipulative words.  
  
It was a ploy to split them up and Mary knew it. On some level, even Alex knew it but the issue had gone far beyond Charlotte's venomous words. It brought into conflict every bit of trust existing between Vin and Alex. It angered Mary to no end and she had recalled once telling Charlotte that it was all right to desire some happiness but not like this. There was no justification that would permit this underhanded attack on two of the best people she knew. Still, Mary could do nothing to help Alex, as she could do nothing to help Inez.  
  
Alex was intent on leaving because understandably, she could not stand to be in the same town as Vin Tanner when the pain in her heart was still so raw. Mary could appreciate the sentiment, knowing if it were her and Chris, she would feel the same way and yet for selfish reasons, Mary did not want Alex to go. While the doctor claimed the departure was temporary, Mary knew it could well be permanent if Vin did not resolve the situation.  
  
Mary tossed and turned in her bed, trying to decide what to do and knowing she could not fix everything. Her friends' personal lives were their own business, no matter how much she wished to intervene. Even though the chill of winter was fast approaching, Mary felt hot under her covers, probably due to the fact her mind was occupied and she had been wriggling around in her bed most uncomfortably. She wished Chris were here because she had become accustomed to his warmth at night and his arms around her when she was troubled like this. For some reason, it made all the difference to have him hold her and whisper in her ear everything would be okay. However, Billy being home made his presence in her bed for the next few nights impossible. It gave her some measure of comfort knowing soon, he would be a permanent part of her life and they could be together all the time.  
  
It was too hot in this room, Mary thought to herself and slipped out of the covers. She padded across the wooden floor, causing it to creak slightly. Mary winced because she was trying to be quiet so she did not wake Billy when she approached her bedroom window. Mary drew aside the curtains and was about to open it when suddenly, she noticed an unfamiliar wagon and horse waiting in the back of her house. She could see no one about as her blue-grey eyes searched the small back yard of her home but the team of carriage and horse was clearing waiting for something.  
  
Suddenly, she heard a sound.  
  
It took another second for her to realize it was coming from inside her house. Mary felt her heart constrict, wondering if she was being paranoid because she was no longer alone. Her son was home. Moving to the door, she listened closely and heard the sound moving up the stairs and quickly identified them as footsteps. They were heavy steps, not light enough to be from an eight-year-old boy. She knew it could not be Chris because he would not sneak in like this with Billy in the house. Mary froze at the door, opening it wide enough to see who was coming up the stairs. Her breath held as she heard the footsteps closing the distance and she withdrew inside as they reached the top of the flight and continued down the hallway, moving past her room.  
  
Mary peered through the crack long enough to see it was not Chris who invaded her home but some stranger she did not recognize. For the moment, he did not seem very interested in her and continued towards Billy's room. Her son! Mary almost rushed out to stop his progress but knew that would avail her nothing. He was probably armed and could overpower her easily. Mary needed to think of another plan and desperation brought one to surface quicker than she anticipated.  
  
Holding her position, she did not make any move to act until she heard him twist the door handle of Billy's bedroom and breached the sanctity of her son's private domain. Biting her lip to maintain her resolve, Mary hurried out of her room silently, creeping down the steps so as to not draw any attention as she made her advance downstairs. Mary knew exactly where she was going once she reached the lower floor of the building. Clad in nothing more than a sheer nightgown, she trailed cotton wraithlike, as she ran into her office and searched for the double barrel shotgun that had its home in the corner of the room.  
  
Mary grabbed the weapon and opened the locked cabinet where she kept the shells for the weapon. It took seconds to load the gun and her fingers were trembling as she perform the task but she had no choice. She was not leaving her son to this man while she ran out and sought help. Her memory still retained the knowledge of the wagon and horse and knew instinctively her intruder intended on spiriting Billy away if not both of them.  
  
Mary raced up the stairs once again, feeling a little braver now she had the means to protect herself and her son. She could hear Billy's struggles as the intruder whisked him from his bed. His plaintive wail cutting through her as she heard him cry out.  
  
"Let me go! Ma!"  
  
Mary reached the top of the stairs and saw the intruder with his hands firmly grasped around Billy's struggling form. Wasting no time, she raised the gun and took careful aimed.

"Take your hands of my son." She said in a voice so cold and full of murderous intent it surprised her somewhat.  
  
"Or what Mary?" The man asked, she could see him smiling through the dark. What little light in the room gleamed off his teeth.  
  
"Or I'll kill you." Mary said without hesitation.  
  
"I don't think so." He replied. "Not while I hold your son in my hands."  
  
"Ma!" Billy cried out again.  
  
"It's all right Billy," Mary cried out. "I won't let him hurt you. I'm not going to say it again, let my boy go."  
  
He stood his ground and shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I cannot do that. I promised my client I would have the both of you and I did make her a promise."  
  
Mary was hardly listening to him and fired. The double barrel made enough of a roar for it to be heard half way across town. It sound was almost deafening as its payload emptied itself in the wall next to the intruder, leaving an enormous hole as plaster and paint crumbled.  
  
"I do believe you would shoot me." He said impressed she had actually pulled the trigger. "Maybe I will come back for you later." He stepped forward, holding Billy before him, a clear indication he was willing to use her son as a shield if she dared to fire again.

Mary was at a loss at what to do. Firing the gun meant someone would be coming but they would not be in time to stop this man and his abduction of Billy nor could she shoot him lest she might hit her son. She was not good enough a shot to be certain she would miss Billy if she did pull the trigger again.  
  
"Put him down!" Mary demanded impotently as he started moving forward towards her, confident in the knowledge she would not fire as long as he held her son in his clutches. Billy was screaming and the intruders reacted by cupping hand over her son's face and muffling the sounds of his terror.  
  
"Until next time." He said smoothly as he proceeded down the stairs, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he made his downward descent. "I wouldn't shoot me until I've cleared the stairs Madam," he added. "If I take a fall, I might just break your son's neck on the way down."  
  
"What do you want with him?" Mary demanded, feeling tears run down her cheeks because she felt powerless. In the distance she could hear voices approaching to investigate the sound of gunfire but she knew instinctively they would not arrive in time.  
  
"That's privileged information." The man replied smoothly, his cool deliberate manner a sharp contrasts to Mary's fear and Billy's fierce struggles for freedom. "My client will present herself soon enough."  
  
_Her?_  
  
Mary thought quickly and knew it mattered little whether or not this question was answered immediately. "Whatever she's paying you, I'll double it!" Mary tried desperately as she saw him reach the bottom of the stairs. Mary was keeping him in close view but knew the moment he turned the corner with Billy, she could no longer get a clear shot of him.  
  
"A tempting offer," he remarked as his foot touched down on the floor from the last step. "Unfortunately, I do take my responsibilities to my clients most seriously. I do not renege once a contract is made."  
  
"Momma!" Billy broke free. "Don't let him take me!"  
  
His scream made Mary react instinctively, causing the widow to tighten her finger around the trigger. The man ducked the blast easily as the corner of the wall was blown off, raining dust and mortar in all directions. Mary was horrified by her reaction, knowing she could have killed her son by such an action. She heard his scream of fright and immediately lowered the gun, giving the stranger the opportunity he needed to make his escape. He bolted down the hallway, trailing Billy's scream as she heard the back door being kicked open. Mary was still clutching her gun as she ran after him, running faster than she had ever run in her entire life.  
  
"BILLY!" She screamed, hearing her child's voice draw further and further away. She raised her gun to fire and then realized that she was empty. The stranger had made his way across the backyard and almost leapt into the wagon that was waiting in readiness for his departure. Mary paused long enough to fumble through the pocket of her night dress, trying to reload the gun with the extra shells she had secreted in there.  
  
If she could damage the wagon or something, he would be on foot and might have enough sense of self-preservation to abandon the idea of taking Billy.  
  
However, it appeared Billy's kidnapper knew this too for as soon as he was inside the wagon, he hastily retrieved the reins and prompted his horse into moving.  
  
"MA!" Billy screamed as he struggled in the grip of the man who was holding him with one hand while driving the wagon in the other.  
  
Mary locked the bullets into the chamber of the weapon and fired again just as the wagon began moving. The roar of the shotgun panicked the animal and sent it bolting forward at top speed. By the time, Mary tried to aim to fire again, the wagon was so far away it was no longer possible to hear the shot. In dismay, she watched it disappear into the night, taking her son with it. Dropping the gun in a fit of hysteria, Mary ran after it.  
  
"Billy!" She screamed on top of her lungs.  
  
"Ma!" She heard his voice respond in utter panic.  
  
"Billy!" Mary kept running up the dirt track even though she had no chance of catching up to the wagon fading away into the darkness, leaving only the her son's voice diminishing into the night.

* * *

  
Less than an hour later, Mary found herself sitting in the kitchen of her house, surrounded by comforting words from friends who knew how terrified she was. She was aware of Inez making her a cup of tea and saying something about how drinking it would make her feel better, as if anything could. She was still clad in the nightgown she woke up in, dirt covering the fabric and her skin where she had run barefoot after her son. Billy's scream echoed in her mind like a symphony of despair that would not stop, no matter how much she tried not to listen.  
  
The sound of Chris and Ezra returning was the only thing that managed to penetrate the haze of black presently gripping her insides in knots of constricting fear. She wanted her son and she knew this was only the beginning because the intruder had said he wanted them both.  She knew what was coming even though the information availed her nothing. As long as he had her son, she was helpless and while she relied upon Chris to bring Billy back, there was something about the intruder told Mary he would not be easy to find. He had used the words client and contract, as if what was being done was little more than a business transaction, not the abduction of an eight-year-old child.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Inez asked Chris as they walked through the front door.  
  
"Unfortunately no, " Ezra answered, shaking his head with unhappiness at being unable to deliver any positive news. "Mr Tanner followed the tracks as far as they would go. They continued for two miles north until we were well out of town before we found both wagon and horse abandoned. He believes the intruder must have had a horse waiting for him there." Ezra paused a moment and glanced at Mary's direction. "There was no sign of Billy. Mr Tanner is trying to locate the tracks from the second horse, the others are with him."  
  
Chris had left the explanations to Ezra, opting instead to go to Mary who was probably feeling as devastated as she looked. He ached with pain at what she must be feeling and wished he could have been here to stop this. Her pink cheeks and red eyes confirmed her state of distress and it only fired his rage and determination to find who would have been cruel enough to dare steal a child right of his bed in the middle of the night.  
  
"Mary," Chris dropped to his knees so that he could meet her gaze when he took her hands in his. "We'll find him."  
  
"He'll come back." Mary whispered, her voice was hoarse and she was trying not to weep again. She had to believe her son was still alive. If she thought otherwise, nothing would ever matter again. Billy was her life. "He said he wanted me too, so he'll use Billy to get me as well."

Earlier, there had not been time to question Mary in detail about the abductor because Chris had wanted to go after the man before he put too much distance between himself and Four Corners. However, now that Vin and the others were on the trail, Chris could ask his questions and have some idea of why this happened.  
  
"What can you tell me Mary?" Chris asked gently. "I need to know to find him."  
  
She knew he did not mean Billy. Mary swallowed hard and returned her mind to the incident of just a short time ago. "He was educated." She began, trying to sift through her recollections to find any clue to help Chris find Billy. "He spoke with a southern accent but I think it could have been Texan too, I'm not sure. He was well dressed, what I could see of him, which was not much. It was dark so I did not get a good look at his face. I know he had gloves on and had perfect teeth because he was smiling when he spoke to me."  
  
"What did he say?" Chris asked, knowing how hard this was her and squeezed her hand gently.  
  
"He said that he would be back." Mary met Chris's eyes with her own, filled with tears. "He said it was too much trouble taking me after I fired the shotgun and everyone heard the noise. He said he would be back because his client wanted it that way." Mary wiped away the tear running down her cheek and added. "She would present herself eventually."  
  
"She?"  
  
Something inside Chris chilled at the knowledge of the abductor's client being female. Inside his mind, he remembered the encounter not too long ago when he had met another man who was well dressed and spoke of protecting his client.  
  
"Fowler?" Ezra exclaimed, reaching the same deduction.  
  
"He's dead." Chris said firmly.  
  
Mary looked at Ezra and Chris in confusion. She knew the name of course. Cletus Fowler was the man who was contracted to murder Chris's family almost five years ago. Chris tracked the man down and in the ensuing firefight, Fowler died never disclosing who hired him for the murders. "What has Fowler got to do with this?"   
  
"It could be her Chris," Ezra said ignoring Mary for the moment. "The woman is insane."  
  
"Shut up Ezra." Chris said quickly because the possibility the gambler was presenting was too horrifying to imagine. He had not told Mary about her and now it appeared that mistake was going to cost him dearly. If who he believed was behind hiring some assassin to come after Mary and Billy, then Chris was more responsible for this than anyone else.  
  
"What woman?" Mary asked, able to see Chris knew something he was not telling her. "You said Fowler never named his client." Mary stared at him, demanding truth. When Chris could not meet her eyes and turned away, she realized he had been lying to her.  
  
"Mary..." Chris walked away, wishing he was anywhere else but here at this moment because she had a right to know and he should have told her long before this.  
  
"TELL ME GODDAMN IT!" Mary shouted in such rage, she made Ezra and Inez jump in shock and forced Chris to turn around and face her.  
  
Chris swallowed thickly. "Ella Gaines."  
  
Mary's eyes widened and thought back to the woman who come riding into town some time ago. She was an old lover of Chris from almost 15 years ago. Mary had found the woman a little strange and recalled feeling some measure of jealousy knowing she had shared a relationship with Chris. "Ella Gaines hired Fowler?"  
  
Chris nodded slowly. "Yes. She hired Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam. She had it in her head that if..."  
  
"If they were out of the way, you and she could be together again." Mary nodded in understanding. "You let her go didn't you?"  
  
He could not deny it because the truth was in his eyes and she could read him as easily as he could tell the fury bubbling behind her eyes would soon make itself felt.

"I couldn't kill her." He said softly. "I don't know why and I still don't. I'm sorry Mary, I never thought..." he trailed off because he could not bring himself to say it even though Mary could guess the rest.  
  
She slapped him hard across the face.

"You son of a bitch! This woman murdered your son and child, had them burned to death like garbage and you let her get away?"  
  
Chris was stung and had no idea how to respond. He still did not know why he had not pulled the trigger on Ella when he had the chance. Perhaps it was the reluctance in killing an animal not in its right mind. He did not know and as he saw the accusation in Mary's eyes, he wished he could say something to explain why he had let Ella escape with her life when he should have killed her then.  
  
"Now she's got my son and she'll kill him as easily as she killed Sarah and Adam because you didn't have the guts to warn me that she was out there!" Mary continued, ruthlessly brutal in her rage.  
  
"Mary," Ezra tried to intervene because he could see the agony in Chris's eyes and knew no one should be subject to a barrage like that. "It was not Chris's fault Billy was taken."  
  
"Ezra, don't." Inez said trying to stop him because this was between Chris and Mary.  
  
Mary hardly heard him. Her eyes were fixed on Chris and she did believe this was his fault just as she was furious he had not told her about Ella or the threat the woman posed. Mary could handle the danger to her own life because that was something she was accustomed to but Billy's life was another thing entirely. She would not tolerate any harm coming to him especially when Chris had some idea this could have happen.  
  
"If anything," Mary glared at Chris with nothing less that bald anger. "If anything happens to my son, I will never forgive you. You should have told me she was out there and you didn't! You let me bring my son home, knowing she could just as easily do this to me and Billy as she did it to Sarah and Adam! If my child dies, you will never come near me again, Chris Larabee. _Never_."  
  
And with that, she walked out of the room, leaving Chris shaking for the first time in his life.  
  
"Chris," Inez came forward, watching the despair in Chris's face. "She's just afraid. I'm sure she doesn't mean that."  
  
Chris said nothing. His jaw tightening as he tried to control the agony of her words which had more effect than a thousand bullets aimed at his heart. "She may not," he said after a moment not looking at either Inez or Ezra. "But she's right. I should have told her."  
  
And with that, no one could argue. 


	7. Collisions

"Miss Alex, don't go away like this." Nathan pleaded as he followed Alex after she picked up her valise from the front hallway of her house and started towards the door.

Alex refused to listen because she did not want to hear another person telling her why she should stay in Four Corners, when every instinct inside her told her she needed to get away from Four Corners for a while. After what transpired between herself and Vin two days ago, Alex found it exceedingly difficult to stay in the same town as the tracker after their quarrel, even more so since Vin had made no effort to see her since that day. Even though she felt badly for leaving, what with Billy Travis still missing despite the seven's best efforts to recover him, Alex was confident Mary would have the support of Inez and Julia to comfort her through this difficult time. In any case, Alex was no use to the widow in her current condition.

"Nathan, I just need to get away for a while," Alex turned to him, wishing he could understand how hard it was for her to remain. She loved Four Corners and the friends she made here but she couldn't face Vin right now, not when Charlotte was lurking in the wings ready to manipulate him into a further state of paranoia. Still, it wasn't just Charlotte who had driven this wedge between them, it was Vin's belief he was not good enough for her. She could not imagine how he could come to that conclusion when she had never given him any reason to doubt she loved him for everything he was.

"Miss Alex he loves you." Nathan said quietly. "You have to know that."

It was his last-ditch effort to try and keep her from doing something rash because he did not want her to go any more than Vin did, Nathan was sure. Alexandra Styles was a part of the fellowship, the way Mary and Inez had become since the seven banded together. To Nathan, she was more than just a friend, she was family. He understood perfectly, the pain she was feeling but suspected much of this had to do with pride more than anything else.

He just knew if she left here, she would eventually find a reason not to come back.

"I do know Nathan," Alex softened, feeling the emotion well up inside her whenever she looked into her heart and was faced with everything Vin was to her. She loved him unconditionally and suspected she always would but Alex was still furious he could think all he was to her was someone to share her bed with at night. Hadn't she proved it time and time again? Vin should have known better and yet he let Charlotte twist and poison his mind with her vile words. "I know he loves me and I love him but he has no faith in me, not enough to disbelieve Charlotte's words about our relationship." 

Nathan could not argue with her on that point because Vin was foolish enough to let Charlotte get to him, but the healer was not ready to give up on Alex. 

"Miss Alex don't leave this." He begged, feeling helpless because he knew she wanted to stay while the one person who could prevent her from leaving was doing nothing to stop her.

Alex continued down the steps, emerging into the afternoon sun. The stage was due to depart for Sweetwater in less than twenty minutes and she had everything she needed to stay away for a while, or at least until she decided what came next. Alex had not thought beyond leaving Four Corners and made arrangements with Doctor Atkins in Bitter Creek to help Nathan while she was gone. Atkins was an old country doctor who knew Nathan by reputation and was more than happy to assist the healer in her absence.

"Nathan, I don't have time to discuss this with you." Alex replied, wishing he would just drop the subject since there was nothing to talk about. Didn't he know how hard this was for her? It was tearing her heart out walking away from her home and her friends, but it had to be done! She had to get away from here. She could not bear to stay here and watch Charlotte continue to manipulate Vin, with the tracker doing nothing to stop it. "I've got a stage to catch."

"I know," Nathan retorted, angry at the approaching deadline, realizing how close he was to defeat each time she took one step closer to the stage depot. "But it ain't just Vin who needs you, it's this whole town. You can't leave Miss Mary in the state she's in. She's all torn up inside about Billy and we're no closer to finding him then we was two days ago!"

"That's not fair Nathan," she glared at him. "You can't put this burden on me!"  
Alex was trying not to cry as she descended the steps and started towards the boardwalk and the stage depot. "I can't stay here! Don't you understand? It's ripping me apart being this close to him and knowing he would rather believe Charlotte's lies than having faith in what we've been to each other." 

"You stayed when it was Ezra," Nathan said foolishly and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Ezra is not VIN!" Alex snapped, feeling the last vestiges of control break into a thousand pieces as the tears started coming down her cheeks. "Nathan please understand, I can't stay here the way things are. Now Inez and Julia are here for Mary and I'm sure Chris will find Billy like he always does. Things will go on just fine without me. I'll be back in a few days, once I've collected my thoughts."

Yet even as she said those words, he didn't believe her.

Defeated, Nathan knew there was nothing else he could say to her and stopped following Alex, allowing her to widen the distance between them as she continued on her way. He watched her disappearing up the boardwalk deciding it was up to him to do something about this situation before the damage was permanent. He knew both Alex and Vin still loved each other very much and this quarrel had resulted because of Charlotte's venomous words and Alex's pride. Although the tracker had said nothing about his fight with Alex, every member of the seven knew it preyed heavily on his mind, just as they knew how badly Chris was feeling over his own troubles with Mary Travis.

The healer was not about to let two people who made such sense together, walk away from each other because someone had manipulated them both. Out of sheer desperation than anything else, Nathan started towards the saloon, hoping against hope if he could not reach Alex, he might have better luck with Vin.

* * *

Ezra sat in the saloon watching Vin and knew he had to do something.

Since Billy's abduction, the group had been taking turns searching the countryside for any trace of the boy. So far, their efforts were less then successful, serving to worsen the situation between Mary and Chris who were no longer on speaking terms. While the seven understood Mary's anger would last as long as Billy was gone, the same could not be said for Vin and Alex. Ezra had known from the moment Charlotte Richmond arrived in town, eventually she would cause enough difficulty to drive the couple apart. However, even Ezra had underestimated how well she could trick Vin into doing most of the work for her.

With Chris, Buck, Josiah and J.D. out searching today, Ezra, Nathan and Vin were left in town to keep an eye on Mary as well as getting some rest since they had been riding most of the night. However, no one could sleep knowing the boy was still out there. Vin on the other hand, had more than just Billy Travis's absence to contend with, especially with Alex due to leave Four Corners a short time from now. Ezra could not understand how things could deteriorate between the two so terribly in just one afternoon. While he did not know the specifics of their argument, he heard enough from Nathan to know the tracker had wounded more than Alex's pride. Somehow, he brought into question their entire relationship and Ezra could not fathom how that could be, when he knew how much they loved each other.

Even though Ezra was never proud of how he ended his relationship with Alex when Julia entered his life, he consoled himself with the knowledge the misstep allowed them both to find the true loves of their lives. During the time he and Alex were affiliated with each other, Ezra never once saw Alex look at him the way she looked at Vin. Ezra recognised it the night Vin and Alex attended their first dance together and realised despite the dissolution of their connection, ultimately it was for the best.

Alex belonged with Vin. 

Except now, Vin was sitting in a corner of the room, having made it clear to everyone he did not want company. The tracker spent the better part of the morning, simply staring at the velvet box containing the band of gold Ezra helped him select the day Charlotte arrived in town. It sat on the table next to the tall bottle of whisky Vin was working steadily through, unopened and unpresented to the woman to whom it was meant for.

Vin seemed his age very much then, confused and lost. Ezra could not appreciate his dilemma when his choice was so clear. Ezra remembered Buck Wilmington telling him how much the young man reminded Buck of Chris Larabee. This was Chris before the fire, before hardship and tragedy had changed into what he was now. Chris's close friendship with Vin had to do with this familiarity. Perhaps Chris recognised in Vin what once existed within himself, now gone forever. Buck once admitted to Ezra part of the reason he got along so well with Vin was because of his similarities to the Chris he once knew.

"Ezra we can't just let him drink himself to oblivion." Nathan whispered in Ezra's direction as they both sat at the bar, trying not to notice Vin had poured himself another drink and drained it as quickly as he was draining the bottle on the table. The healer had walked into the room hoping he could convince Vin to stop Alex from leaving. However, one look at the tracker banished the thought because Vin's expression was a stern warning to all, he had no wish for company.

Ezra who was completely of aware Vin's present condition because he too had been keeping a close eye on the young man, frowned unhappily. "What do you suggest we do Mr Jackson?"

"I don't know," Nathan hissed back, feeling time pressing up against them because Alex would be boarding that stage in a matter of minutes. "But he's been sitting there ever since we got back. He ain't even gone and seen Alex to try and work things out."

Ezra was still uncertain whether or not he ought to intervene. Vin was hurting because Charlotte had properly surfaced every insecurity the tracker felt about his relationship with Alex, causing the rift driving Alex to Sweetwater. The expression Ezra saw mostly in his eyes was intense guilt and shame. It was a sentiment he was more than familiar with. Ezra was also aware of how the prolonged presence of it could poison the soul and he did not wish that for his friend. He knew Nathan was itching to go over to Vin and shake some sense into the tracker but all that would do was get Vin mad.

Vin Tanner angry was something not even Chris Larabee was prepared to tangle with.

"I'll talk to him," Ezra said finally, deciding he better do it because this required subtlety and Nathan's confronting honesty could do more harm than good.

Rising to his feet, Ezra took his glass of whisky with him as he strode over to Vin's table. The tracker did not look up at him as he approached or react when the gambler set his glass down on the table and pulled himself a chair. Vin merely continued to stare at the velvet box with the engagement ring he bought Alex days ago. The ring he had been eager to present to her before Charlotte arrived and made him ruin everything. Now, it angered him just like he knew the only person he should be angry at, was himself. Vin knew how he felt about Alex and he knew how he felt about Charlotte. She was a memory but apparently a memory who believed she had been wronged. To his discredit, Vin had been stupid enough to believe her.

"Mind if I sit down Mr Tanner?" Ezra asked.

"If you gotta." Vin responded, his speech somewhat slurred which was hardly surprising considering how much he was drinking.

Ezra sat down and let a few minutes pass by, merely staring into his drink as he tried to think of the best way to approach Vin who was clearly in need of some counsel but was too proud or too stupid to ask for it. Sometimes it was so easy to forget just how young Vin was, being not much older than J.D. even if life had treated him a little differently.

"You're going to try and tell me I'm being stupid." Vin turned an accusatory glare at him. The tracker was fixing for a fight and Ezra was so determined to help him, he was tempted enough to let it happen.

"You said it Mr Tanner, not I." Ezra replied, meeting his gaze directly. "I am here because you do not have a lot of time. Mr Jackson tells me the stage will be leaving soon and Alexandra will be on it."

Vin said nothing but his eyes spoke volumes.

"Mr Tanner..." Ezra paused before resuming with a gentler tone. "Vin, just go to her and say you're sorry."

"I didn't ask for your opinion Ezra." Vin growled, with more than enough warning in his voice to the gambler to leave things be.

Ezra who knew when he was treading on dangerous ground refused to back down. "You may not wish for an opinion but you damn well need one. When I warned you about Charlotte you did not believe me. Trust someone who has more than enough experience with deceptive females than you will ever know, you played into Charlotte's hands like you were a wind-up toy."

"I said let it go." Vin snapped. "I know what I did. I don't need you to tell me."

"Well someone ought to." Ezra persisted. "It should be Mr Larabee but he is not here and so it falls to me because I am your friend. We have ridden together for two years now and while I may not be the most appropriate person to say this to you, at the moment I am all you have. Now I am saying this to you because you need to hear it, before the liquor drowns out all your senses completely."

Vin started to get up and Ezra grabbed his arm and forced the tracker to remain.

"Vin, do not let her do this. You and I both know you are letting the best thing that has ever happened to you walk out of your life because you are too damn proud to admit that you were wrong!"

"I ain't wrong," The tracker replied shooting Ezra a menacing glare as he regarded the arm on his person. "I ain't good enough for her. She'd be better off without me."

"I tend to agree," Ezra declared raising his voice as well and determined to see this through even if it came to blows. "Unfortunately, that is not how Alexandra views the situation. For Christ sake, Vin, all one has to do is see how she looks at you to know she loves you more than anything. Do not let her leave because Mrs Richmond said all the right things to get to you."

"It’s too late Ezra," Vin said softly because something of what the gambler said did actually reach him. The numb feeling inside him, induced by too much liquor, was starting to wane and with its banishment came the overwhelming emotion of loss and profound sorrow. "I said things to her I can't take back and I don't ever want to see her looking at me that way again. I hurt her Ezra, I hurt her bad and I can't even think of why I did it, except maybe I always knew she was a lady and I weren't good enough to have someone like that."

Ezra felt some measure of relief knowing his words had penetrated on some level, even if it had not reached the end result of convincing Vin Alex was not lost to him.

"Forgive me for saying this Vin but that is not your choice to make. It is Alexandra's. She may be angry at what you were misguided enough to say but I do not believe she would lock you out of her heart for that. She is leaving because she cannot bear being here while you two are apart. Can you not see that?"

Vin could not and neither could he listen any further to what Ezra had to say. In reaching the place inside Vin that was a raw wound of pain at what he had done, Ezra had stolen Vin's last refuge from himself. The tracker coiled his fingers around the bottle and stood up shakily, taking it with him as he walked out of the saloon, unable to look at either Ezra or Nathan because he could not stand them looking at him like a fool.

And he was a fool.

He stepped out in the sunshine outside the saloon and winced as the light poured into his eyes, amplifying all the reasons why drinking during the day was a bad idea. No one paid him much notice, even with the bottle in his hand as he paused on the boardwalk for a moment. Life went on in Four Corners, oblivious to his inner demons or the sorrows of his heart. Vin wondered if it mattered even to himself.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses and turned instinctively towards the direction it had come from. Vin froze as he saw the stagecoach and the driver loading baggage to the top of the old Concord. He could not see her yet but he knew as he felt the clenching inside his chest, she was there. There were other travellers going to Sweetwater and only after they piled into the carriage one by one, did he see her.

Alex was standing there, looking so sad as her gaze swept across Four Corners and the home she was leaving. Vin almost withdrew before she saw him but found he could not leave. Her eyes touched his and they both stood there staring at each other, feeling the invisible threads of longing pulling at them. Her expression melted when she saw him and the profound grief that crept into her face as her eyes locked onto his was more than he could stand. He knew she wanted to cry because her lower lip was quivering in that familiar way. Vin swallowed hard as his blue eyes stared at her intently, secretly begging her to stay but lacking the courage to articulate the words so she could hear him.

Instead, he saw what her eyes were seeing and, in that instant, shared the same memories. Memories of the first time he saw her, how she graced into his life and left him astonished by how easily she captivated his heart with the beauty of her smile and her familiar sense of humour. Lost in warm reminiscences, he could feel her arms around him as they rode with the sun on their backs and how she called out his name the first time they made love. A thousand things moved back and forth in secret messages only the heart could read, where words had no meaning.

She did not smile or frown as they stared at each other, the expanse between them growing wider as the seconds ticked by. She could only look at him, exuding heartbreak with every breath she took, until she was forced to swallow it away. Vin could see her brown eyes were glistening and her tears were not far behind but she held strong as she always did, giving him one last glimpse before turning away and walking towards the stagecoach.

It was only when he realized the ring he bought her was no longer in his coat that some semblance of what he was letting go, hit him. Almost frantically, he turned around and hurried back into the saloon, unable to bear parting with the trinket because he knew now in those last few seconds he could not bear losing her. Not for anything, not for his stupid pride, not for Charlotte and her words of venom.

Vin burst through the bat wing doors of the saloon and saw Ezra at the table he just vacated. The gambler was studying the ring inside its velvet case, with a bitter expression in his face that reeked of failure at being unable to talk some sense into Vin before it was too late. Vin felt another wave of shame as he realized how cruelly he behaved not only to Alex, but to the friends who tried to keep him from making a mistake.

"I need it back Ezra," Vin declared as he reached the table, indicating at the box in the gambler's hand.

"About time Mr Tanner," Ezra sighed, handing it back to him, clearly relieved as Vin snatched it out of his hand and hurried out of the saloon again.

Unfortunately, by the time he reached the boardwalk again, Alex was nowhere in sight and the stage was rumbling down the street, taking her with it, away from Four Corners and him.

* * *

Considering how she was feeling, Alex thought she held on to her composure quite admirably when she found herself staring at Vin during those final moments before she boarded the stagecoach. At that moment, she realized how correct she was in her choice to leave Four Corners for a time because she couldn't stand seeing him again, not with the way things were between them. She cringed in the shadows of the coach, trying not to weep openly as she faced the window watching Four Corners sweep by, leaving behind the part of herself that died at being forced to leave him.

Alex hoped and prayed he would say something to make her stay but he had been content to let her go, denying her any miraculous reprieve from a broken heart. His silence only confirmed Charlotte had won because he didn't even say goodbye when for all he knew, they might never see each other again. The rumble of the stage was loud enough to drown out the sound of her quiet tears, allowing Alex that dignity at least. She watched Four Corners moving past her and tried not to dissolve into complete despair as she left behind everything that had come to mean so much to her this past year.

* * *

He could still catch her.

All he had to do was get to Peso and he could catch her. It should never have gotten this far in the first place. As soon as she had thrown him out of the door, he should have pounded on it until she let him in again and beg her forgiveness at his complete stupidity. He allowed all kinds of foolishness to get in the way of what should have been the most important thing to remember when Charlotte filled his head with all those ugly ideas, that she loved him.

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. Vin hurried out of the saloon and strode towards the livery, the fresh air going a long way to lifting the alcohol induced fog over his brain. Since that first night, she had let him set the terms of their relationship. Alex never complained when he waited so long to ask for her hand, even though he was sharing her bed almost every night. Not once did she mention about the price on his head or his lack of prosperity. When Randall Mason's brother had almost dragged her to Texas, Alex was willing to risk a bullet to keep him from having to chase her there, fully aware what danger he would be in if he entered that state. Nor was it lost on him that whenever he was called to read or write something, she would manoeuvre herself into doing it for him without his ever needing to ask.

How could he have doubted someone who was so determined to make him feel good about himself? How could he just let her leave?

After days of wrestling with his conscience over Alex and Charlotte, suddenly he knew what to do and that knowledge lifted the weight off his shoulders. Clutching the velvet box in his hand, he knew without doubt Buck had been right that day in the saloon when he said Charlotte was old news. She was in his past and what he felt for her once would never really fade away, but it would not eclipse what he felt for Alexandra Styles. Now if he could just reach Peso, he could go after her and drag her back to town if need be.

After all, he was a subtle guy.

Vin rounded the corner and walked straight into Charlotte, making the tracker wonder if God was trying to put obstacles in his way as retribution for his stupidity. In any case, running into his old love gave him the opportunity to clear the air between them before he went and got Alex because after this day, he would be done with Charlotte Richmond. While he would help her as a friend to get settled in Four Corners or wherever it was she chose to live after this, that was as far as he was willing to involve himself in her affairs.

"Vin, I'm so sorry about Alex," Charlotte gushed as they stood before each other.

Vin scrutinised her as more than just his past lover and for the first time, questioned everything he saw in her eyes. "I'm sure you are Charlotte, but it ain't quite over between me and Alex yet."

He saw the flicker of dismay steal across her lovely features which more or less confirmed her intent during their previous conversation, was to create this break between himself and Alex. Vin felt a gush of anger surge from inside him, realizing how correct Ezra had been when he accused Charlotte of manipulating him into this position. Still, Vin forced himself to remember she did this out of love and ultimately, she would be the loser when everything was said and done.

"I thought she left..." Charlotte started to say but Vin cut her off.

"I'm going after her." He said curtly, brushing past her and continuing towards the livery. "If I have to, I'm going to hold up the stage just so she listens to me so get out of my way, I ain't got a lot of time."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Charlotte questioned, desperate to stop him now she was so close to having him again.

Vin stopped abruptly and swung around.

"Yeah Charlotte," he glared at her, allowing his fury to surface a little. "That's what I want. I shouldn't have let you fill my head with all that crap about how she was too good for me and she was just using me. You played real dirty Charlotte and I ain't forgetting that. I know why you did it and it's the only thing keeping me from knocking your teeth out."

Charlotte looked at him with tears filling her eyes, most of it genuine even though she knew he was right and there was no reprieve in the harshness of his voice. "Vin, I never meant to hurt you."

"No Charlotte," Vin sighed, unable to feel any compassion for her in light of what happened between himself and Alex. "You never meant to hurt you. I never came into the picture until you decided Will weren't good enough for you, not even when we were on the trail. I was always something to fall back on when you and your husband weren't getting along. I was that to you then and I'm still that to you now."

"Vin that's not true!" Charlotte exclaimed desperately trying to make him understand he was not just some substitute. "I do love you. I tried it with Will, I really did but I couldn't stand being without you."

"Well I couldn't stand being without you either," he said unable to keep the emotion from his voice. "For a long time, it ached so bad I thought I was going to die but then Alex turned up and she made me feel better than I ever felt in my whole life without me needing to steal another man's wife." Vin swallowed and decided he could waste no more time with her. "I loved you and a part of me always will, but the difference between you and Alex is I can't live without her and I can without you."

"CHARLOTTE!" A new voice roared loudly in their ears. 

Both Vin and Charlotte turned around, startled by its sharpness. Will Richmond stood meters from them, having just emerged from the stage that recently departed town and which Vin was intending to catch. He was still in his travelling clothes, looking no different from the last time Vin saw him, except where there was heartache and despair before, now there was only bald hatred.

"I knew it!" Will barked angrily. "I knew I would find you here! With _him_."

"Will," Charlotte said astonished, unable to believe he followed her all this way. "This isn't what it looks like."

"The hell it doesn't," the man snapped and it was at this point Vin became aware he was armed.

Suddenly, the tracker had this terrible premonition things were about to go to hell.

"Richmond, there ain't nothing going on between us." Vin tried to convince him, hoping to avert the outcome the three of them were tumbling headlong into. His fingers dropped to his own gun and hoped the alcohol in his system had not slowed him down too much. However, he was more worried Richmond's first shot would not be aimed at him but at Charlotte. Somehow, he had to get her out of the line of fire before this ended up going the way he suspected.

There was no time to formulate any kind of a plan because Richmond was too filled with anger for any words to reach the red haze of his betrayal.

The gun fired before Vin even finished his sentence and instinctively knew he was not the target. Amidst Charlotte's scream, he pushed her aside, dropping her to the floor as he pulled out his gun and fired. His fingers tensed to pull the trigger when suddenly he felt the projectile from Richmond's pistol tear into his chest with white hot pain. Reflex made him pull the trigger of his Winchester and through the agonizing pain flaring across his chest, Vin was aware of Charlotte's screaming when the Winchester's bullet met its target.

Vin was not conscious of much else after the exploding sound of his rifle dissipated. His legs buckle beneath him as he fell, aware briefly his gun was no longer in his hand when he hit the ground. Charlotte's cries were still in his ears as she scrambled away but not to him. Vin rolled his head in her direction as he lay on the ground, his eyes taking in the sight of blood pooling under him and rolling in heavy progression across the dirt. He saw Charlotte scrambling towards her husband and would have laughed at the irony of it if the blood in his mouth allowed him the chance.

Charlotte was weeping over her husband's body and as Vin heard the gurgling sounds emanating from Will Richmond as he clutched his ruined neck where Vin's bullet had hit him, he had some measure of satisfaction knowing he had been right about his assessment earlier. When it came down to it, for Charlotte, Vin Tanner was always second best.

As for himself, Vin wondered what was worse, the dying to come or the realisation he would never be able to tell Alex he was sorry.

* * *

Ezra and Nathan heard the gunshots from the saloon and for a moment thought Mary Travis was in danger. Although they were meant to be protecting the widow, Mary was adamant her daily routine not be interfered with, mostly because she needed her work to keep her from worrying about her son. Besides, both lawmen could see the widow through the large window in the Clarion's office where she was working steadily for most of the morning and she appeared safe.

With the eruption of gunfire, both men ran out of the Standish Tavern and noticed even Mary emerging from her office to investigate the commotion. Nathan and Ezra exchanged quick glances in confusion, trying to discern the nature of the threat until a woman's scream from the direction of the livery, answered that question. Both men immediately followed the small crowd going to investigate and as they approached, heard someone calling out for a doctor.

When Ezra and Nathan arrived, the group immediately stepped aside for the recognized law in Four Corners. Through the rumble of concerned voices as they broke through the ring of townsfolk surrounding the scene, Nathan heard a female voice demanding the services of a healer for her husband.

"Let me through!" Nathan demanded as he pushed through and emerged to see Charlotte cradling a man Nathan recognized immediately as Will Richmond. Richmond was holding his throat, gurgling loudly as blood flowed from his ruined neck. His blood covered his wife's dress as she held him in her arms, weeping incoherently as she tried to assure him he was going to be all right. Nathan just had to look at the wound to know it was a promise she would not be able to keep.

"Jesus Vin!" Ezra exclaimed as the gambler reached the prone body of Vin Tanner lying in the dirt, his chest gushing blood so profusely the ground was puddled with it. "Nathan!" Ezra called out frantically as he dropped to his knees next to Vin and tried to stem the bleeding despite lacking the expertise.

"Christ!" Nathan tore open Vin's shirt and seeing the extent of the damage on his ruined flesh. It was difficult to see through all the blood but the bullet had entered frightfully close to Vin's heart and the bleeding was the result of an arterial rupture. Vin was not quite conscious but his pulse was thready and Nathan knew he had an hour maybe less before Vin lost so much blood there would be no surviving it. Will Richmond's wounds were beyond anyone's ability to heal but there was still a chance for Vin unless the damage was where Nathan suspected it was.

"Ezra," Nathan said quickly, thinking fast what to do because if Vin was hit where Nathan believed he was, the healer did not have the skills to do the surgery. Only one person could keep Vin alive longer than the hour Nathan estimated and she was presently on her way to Sweetwater. "You got to get to that stage and bring Miss Alex back here. I think the bullet's penetrated the heart and if it has, I ain't got the know how to get it out. She does."

Ezra nodded in understanding, realizing it took a great deal for Nathan to admit he was less than capable of helping anyone and Vin did not look as if he had a lot of time. "I am on my way." The gambler rose to his feet and ran towards the livery, making the journey Vin had never had a chance to complete.

* * *

At least she had stopped crying.

Alex dried the last of her tears almost an hour after her departure from Four Corners, unable to believe she was leaving under such a cloud. The other passengers in the coach had left her to her sorrow, choosing not to offer any words of comfort or make any obligatory attempts to ask her what was wrong. Alex was grateful for that. She still felt most miserable and wanted to crawl into some dark place and die but for the moment at least, she was no longer a quivering wreck.

The farther away from Four Corners she was, the more Alex wondered if Nathan was right. Perhaps she behaved rashly by departing. Her life in Four Corners was more than just Vin Tanner even though seeing him on a daily basis would be agony, she supposed she could learn to weather it. The more she tried not to think about the tracker, the more her mind ultimately returned to him and she felt the fresh stabs of pain as memories of him plagued her. Everything from the way Vin smiled at her to the quiet manner in which he humoured her when Alex was in one of her more trying moods.

Before she even knew it, Alex wondered if she was not being a little hasty in her departure. Perhaps, it might have been wiser to spend some time apart as opposed to running out on him because they argued. For sure it had been a terrible argument but what had it been about really? They never discussed the future in any depth beyond knowing they wanted to share it with each other. Besides, Charlotte had known which buttons to push and perhaps what had been needed was Alex's assurance to Vin that Charlotte was just casting aspersions instead of losing her temper.

Although the old Concord was rocking back and forth, rolling ahead with the team of horses leading the charge, the passengers became aware of another set of hoofbeats fast riding hard alongside the carriage. Alex could see nothing from her window but she could hear voices being traded between the rider and the driver. After a few seconds of this verbal banter, the stagecoach began to slow and like all the others inside the stage with her, Alex wondered the reason for this sudden break in their journey.

By the time the stagecoach had come to a halt, there was enough ire raised by the passengers at this sudden pause to make Alex climb out of the carriage to escape the noise and to stretch her legs a little. Besides, whatever the problem was, she was certain it would be dealt with eventually. This whole trip was painful enough without her becoming additionally agitated over trivialities. She swung open the door and was about to step out when she gaped at Ezra dismounting his horse a few feet ahead.

"Ezra?" Alex exclaimed, surprised to see the gambler.

"Alexandra," Ezra replied, lines of worry etched across his face as he strode towards her. "I apologize for this intrusion but you must come back to Four Corners now."

There was enough worry in his eyes for Alex to feel immediately alarmed because she knew he would not have ridden out here for no good cause.

"What is it? Is someone hurt?" She demanded, knowing it was the only reason to justify this sudden appearance.

"Alexandra, its Vin." Ezra wasted no time identifying the problem, discarding the need for lengthy explanations. She needed to know what was at stake here. "Vin was on his way to the livery when he encountered Charlotte. I do not know the specifics but apparently, he was on his way to catch this stage. He was coming for you."

Alex felt the air suddenly disappear around her as she heard Ezra's words through a whirlwind, telling her about Charlotte's husband arriving in town and finding them both together before assuming the worst. Shots were fired and Vin was hurt so badly Nathan had sent Ezra riding after her. For a few seconds, she could not breathe and after hearing Nathan's estimation Vin had no more than an hour, she had no illusions as to how severely he was hurt. Not if a bullet to the heart was a factor in the equation.

"I'll get my bag." She said quietly, brushing past Ezra as she walked towards the driver. "Have my things sent back to Four Corners when you get to Sweetwater, I'm going back." 

* * *

They rode hard and fast to town with Alex saying little during the trip back to Four Corners. Ezra had no doubt in his mind as to why. Secretly Ezra prayed her unceremonious return to Four Corners would not be in vain and Vin was still alive to receive her attention. What Ezra saw of his injuries was cause enough for him to believe death was a very real possibility. When the gambler arrived on the scene, he was disgusted to see Charlotte Richmond at the side of her husband, proving once again how correct they had all been in assuming her estrangement was not as permanent as it seemed. Ezra hoped the woman was satisfied with the knowledge she may not have just killed one man, but two, by her irresponsible actions.

"Where is Nathan treating him?" Alex asked as they rode into town. As they passed the livery, Ezra did not need to tell Alex it had been the scene of the shooting. Although the crowd had since dissipated, the crimsons stains of blood seeping into the dirt remained, telling the tale of what transpired here better than any explanation. Ezra felt Alex's grip around his shoulders tightened as she realized all that blood belonged to Vin.

"I believe Mr Jackson was taking them to your clinic because it was bigger and better facilitated." Ezra replied as Chaucer continued his strong gallop through the community, cutting through the centre of town with enough thunder in his hooves to warn pedestrians on the street to step aside as they approached. It was only a matter of minutes before they arrived at the clinic and Ezra practically leapt off the animal before Chaucer came to a stop. Alex was in no mood to waste any time herself and she dismounted without his help, pausing long enough to retrieve her doctor's bag, before running through the front door of the clinic.

The first thing Alex saw when she burst through the room was Charlotte Richmond weeping.

Judging by the desolate look on her face and by the fact Mary Travis was offering the woman comfort, Alex guessed Richmond did not survived the shooting. Charlotte's eyes met Alex's but the doctor refused to offer any more acknowledgment than an icy glare before she turned her attention to Mary. It was just like Mary to offer support to someone in need even though her son was out there somewhere and in danger. But then Mary Travis was like that, Alex decided. She was at her best when things were at their worst.

"Thank God you're back." Mary said clearly relieved at her arrival because Nathan had been unable to save Charlotte's husband and was not certain he would be able to do the same for Vin without Alex. "They're in there." She gestured towards the partition where Alex could see Nathan's shadow through the white canvas.

Alex nodded, saying nothing as she brushed past them because the only thing on her mind at this moment was Vin and the fact he was still alive. She strode forward, pulling her gloves off her fingers as she slipped past the partition and saw Nathan standing over Vin. Nathan looked over his shoulder at the sound of her arrival and let out a sigh of relief even though the expression on his face was still grim.

"Miss Alex," Nathan greeted as Alex stepped forward, removing her travelling coat before draping it on a nearby chair. "I can't remove the bullet."

The healer apprised her of the situation as she came to Vin and examined the extent of his injuries. The tracker was unconscious and it was just as well because her preliminary diagnosis of his state of health indicated surgery needed to be done and very soon. Nathan had managed to stop the bleeding with multiple clamps but it was not enough. The examination table he was lying on was slick with blood and Alex guessed immediately why Nathan estimated Vin had no more than an hour left to him.

"Where is it lodged?" Alex asked, swallowing hard because seeing Vin like this was shaking her resolve to remain professional and detached. This was not just some patient. He was the man she loved, the man without whom her life would mean nothing. _Stop it!_ She rebuked herself inwardly because this sentimental hysterics was useless to him! He needed a doctor and a surgeon to survive, not a terrified woman.

"It's in the aorta." Nathan explained. "I got him open to see what was happening but the fact is, the bullet isn't the only problem. There's a lot of damage that isn't stopping the bleeding even with the clamps."

What an understatement, Alex thought as she took note of the injury and realized any chance of keeping blood flow to a minimum had flown out the window the moment Richmond pulled the trigger.

"That's serious but repairable." Alex responded, until she saw Nathan's face and knew there was more to it than that. There was something else Nathan wasn't telling her and she guessed it had to do with all the blood smeared across Vin's pale skin and her exam table. Vin's exposed heart cavity had clamps sticking out of it in places as Nathan attempted to reroute the flow of blood to the damaged heart. She marvelled at the skill taken to do this from just observation. Nathan had surgical skills that put most doctors to shame and it was to his credit he kept Vin alive this long.

"The bullet destroyed a large piece of artery Alex." Nathan explained softly and saw the colour drain from her face, the full implications of that diagnosis impacting on her.

"We can over sew it." Alex declared, trying not to show how horrified she was by his words.

"No," Nathan shook his head, hating to be the one to deliver this kind of news. Vin was his friend too and the death of one of the seven was something he never wanted to see. "Too much was lost to do that."

"We have to think of something!" Alex exclaimed, refusing to believe there was no solution because the alternative was something she could not accept. "If we don't he's going to die!"

Nathan merely stared at her because there was no way to stop it.

Alex felt an invisible fist clench around her heart as she understood what Nathan was trying to tell her. Alex turned to Vin, trying not to let the despair over take her as he was lying there oblivious to the sands of his life draining before her eyes. She wanted to hold him in her arms and tell him so many things like she loved and needed him. She even understood why he said what he had because of his fears of becoming something she would tire of someday. As if that could ever happen.

"I'm not letting him go!" Alex stated stubbornly, unable to fathom giving him up. "This can be fixed. It's just a length of artery!" She was trying not to break down but as it always was with Vin, emotions got in the way of her cool demeanour. "We've gotta think of something else!"

"It's a length of artery we can't replace Alex." Nathan argued. "Lord, I don't want this to happen anymore than you do." Of course, he could not even begin to imagine what she was feeling and understood she could not just accept Vin was beyond either of their ability to save.

Alex wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked at Vin again, feeling a thousand emotions running through her in that one second. How could she survive without him? _Steady Doc_ , she almost heard his voice in her head, calming her before she descended completely into panic. Forcing away her fear at the inevitability of his death, Alex resolved herself to think like a surgeon not like the woman who loved Vin Tanner.

While his heart was still beating, there was a chance and she was unprepared to give up on him. The bullet was lodged in the aorta and Nathan had clamped all the other bleeders so oxygen was still getting to his brain but not enough to sustain him for very long without the main artery. It had to be repaired before the bullet could be removed and since it was more or less shredded as Alex confirmed when she studied what Nathan had done, its repair was impossible. The only way to save Vin was to magically produce a new length of artery and that was impossible.

Or was it?

Alex's mind was reeling. When she was in medical school, she studied the work conducted by Dr John Hunter, a surgeon of note at St Thomas Hospital a hundred years before. Hunter had conducted the successful ligation of the superficial femoral artery in the thigh to treat an aneurysm. Fifty years later, Astely Cooper had made similar strides in aortic vascular surgery. True, he killed as many as he saved but Alex knew the technique he used and she had something Cooper didn't. It was a monstrous idea but Alex's desperation was such at present, the monstrous was all that stood between Vin and oblivion.

"Nathan," Alex spoke very calmly, her mind already focussed on how to do this outrageous thing in her head. "How long has Richmond been dead?"

"Not long," Nathan replied, wondering what this had to do with anything. "No more than thirty minutes."

Alex nodded. "So, necrosis of the tissue has yet to take place." She mused and lapsed into silence for a few seconds as she considered his words. Nathan knew the look well and knotted his brow as he waited for her to deliver what it was she was deliberating with such intensity.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her cautiously. If there was one thing he learned about her since they met, Alex was a hell of a surgeon. He was good with patients and was able to diagnose things with amazing accuracy but Alex was better at surgery and Nathan who witnessed battlefield cutters at work during the war, could say with confidence she was one of the best. Much of this had to do with her ability to make conceptual leaps and improvise when faced with impossibility.

Like now.

"Ezra!" Alex hollered on top of her voice, hoping the gambler was still outside.

"Miss Alex, what are you thinking?" Nathan eyed her as Ezra emerged from the waiting area beyond the partition.  
The gambler stepped through just far enough so to be inside the space but not close enough to see Vin's exposed innards. Not even Ezra's strong constitution could take the sight of that much blood.

"How is he?"

Ignoring his question, Alex launched into the reason for his summons. "Ezra, I need you to go to the Emporium. Julia has a jeweller on staff there."

"Patterson," Ezra nodded, familiar with the man. "I have indulged him in a game of cards on occasion."

"He has a magnifying glass for fine work." Alex said quickly, knowing she had not much time if she intended to do this thing. "I need it here immediately. Tell him that I need it for surgery but get it here fast."

Ezra could not understand why she would need the object but recognized the urgency enough to not give her any debate on the issue. Nodding shortly, the gambler left the room immediately as Alex turned back to Nathan. "Get the respirator and keep him oxygenated." Alex glanced at Vin praying her gamble would work.

"What do you plan to do?" Nathan demanded, not liking at all where this was headed.

"Where's the body?" Alex asked ignoring answering the question. He would understand soon enough.

"The body?" Nathan stared at her confused.

"Richmond's body, where is it?"

"Next door," he gestured to another partitioned area before his eyes widened in understanding. "You can be seriously suggesting what I think you are." Nathan declared as she started out as soon as he had responded.

"It's his only chance," Alex paused long enough to say.

Nathan who had been pouring over Alex's medical texts for his practitioners exam in recent months, realised what she was planning and could barely wrap his head around the notion. "Miss Alex, no one has ever done this kind of thing before. You could kill him."

"As opposed to what Nathan?" Alex returned frustrated. "You know as well as I do that if we can't repair the artery, he's dead anyway. His blood will slowly suffocate him. This is Vin's only chance!"

"Alex, you ain't thinking straight." Nathan called out as she continued out of the room.

"I may not be," she agreed, refusing to take that much from him. "But I'm still going to do this."

* * *

  
Alex stepped out of the partition and found herself facing Charlotte and Mary Travis.

Although she had no desire to converse in any shape or form, with the woman who almost destroyed her relationship with Vin and might still do so if Vin died, Alex had no choice in the matter. To save Vin, she would walk through hell and speaking to this woman was nowhere as terrible as what she intended to do with Will Richmond's body.

"How is Vin?" Mary asked automatically, having seen Ezra run out of here only a short time ago. With Billy gone, Mary could not handle another tragedy so close to her son's abduction.

"He's dying." Alex said coldly, glaring at Charlotte, revealing in no uncertain terms the new widow was completely responsible for this.

"Oh Lord," Charlotte whimpered. Losing Will was bad enough but now with Vin following close behind, it was more than she could stand. Her grief was made worse with Alexandra Styles staring at her with accusation.

"Charlotte," Alex took a deep breath and launched into the explanation she had not even given Nathan. "Vin's dying. His main artery had been damaged. We can't remove the bullet in his heart until it is repaired and he will die if it isn't. Now I've got an idea to save his life but I need your permission to perform some minor surgery on your husband."

"But Will's dead." Charlotte muttered in confusion, not understanding. "What kind of surgery are you talking about?"

"I need to take a section of undamaged artery from Will to use on Vin." Alex replied, sucking in her breath as she announced her intention, surprised by how calmly she was describing a technique she had only read about in books and medical journals, with limited success.

"You want to cut Will up?" Charlotte exclaimed horrified. "He's dead! Can't you leave him be?" The woman burst into tears, ignoring the issue at hand completely and infuriating Alex to no end because as far as the doctor was concerned this entire mess was Charlotte Richmond's fault. "He's my husband and I'm not going to let you tear him to pieces any more than he already is!"

Alex cast a glance at Mary who was caught between sympathy for Charlotte's loss and concern for Vin's life. Mary should not be here, Alex thought. She had enough to deal with already, without paying nursemaid to this foolish woman who behaved like a teenager and was now weeping because everything had gone wrong, condemning two men to die instead of just one. Taking a deep breath, Alex fought to restrain her anger as she turned to Mary and said quietly, "Mary, can I have a moment with Mrs Richmond, please?"

Mary hesitated, unsure whether or not it was such a good idea to leave both women alone with the bad blood existing between them but could see no reason to deny the request. With Charlotte's agreement vital to Vin's survival, Mary hoped the argument Alex intended to use was a convincing one.

"Of course. Alex, I hope you don't mind if I go make some tea." Mary stated before she made a discreet exit.

Alex waited for Mary to ascend the steps to her house upstairs before she turned her attention to Charlotte. Taking another deep breath, she braced herself for what she intended to do and knew time was a commodity she did not have. Charlotte was still weeping pathetically as she mourned her husband but Alex felt no sympathy whatsoever, not while Vin was in there dying.

"Now you listen to me," Alex grabbed Charlotte by her chin with such force she lifted the new widow off her chair. Charlotte squealed as Alex shoved her against the wall and leaned close to the woman, making certain Charlotte could see how determined she was on this point. "I have had just about enough of you and your foolishness to last me a lifetime Mrs Richmond. I am not even going to start on what your meddling did to me and Vin. All I am interested in now is saving his life. Do you understand me?"

"Let me go!" Charlotte struggled to force Alex's hand away but Alex was not going to remove her grip for anything, not until she had what she needed.

"As far as I am concerned, you're just as responsible for Vin as you are for your dead husband. If you want compassion, go to a damned church because you're not getting it from me! I need that artery so I can clean up this mess you've created before another man dies because you decided your husband was not good enough for you!" With that Alex released her and Charlotte slumped back into her chair, staring at the doctor in amazement and shock.

"I'm a doctor Charlotte," Alex continued, eyes blazing with fury at what this woman and her selfish desires had wrought to the men who cared for her. "I promise to do no harm but I'm telling you if Vin dies because you're too weak to make a decision to save his life, I will kill you myself! Do you hear me?"

Charlotte nodded slowly, wiping her tears as she weighted the words delivered so harshly by the doctor. After a moment, she exhaled loudly and met Alex's gaze. She hated Alexandra Styles for what was said but the truth of her words could not be denied. Whether or not Charlotte may wish to admit it, Alex was right. She had brought this on Vin and Will. Will was gone and she could do nothing to change that but Vin was still alive and she was in the position to help him.

"Go on," she gestured to the room where Will's body was kept, trying not to cry as she conceded defeat. "Do what you have to but save him, please."

"Thank you," Alex gave her that much consideration before sweeping out of the woman's presence to where Will Richmond's corpse lay waiting for her to save Vin's life.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan asked as Alex once Ezra returned with the mirror she asked for, courtesy of Mr Patterson of the Pemberton Emporium and the vital piece of artery that could possibly save Vin Tanner's life.

Alex met the healer's gaze and could not say for certain whether what they intended to do could give Vin the chance of life he almost certainly did not have now. All she knew was she had to try this because there was no other alternative except to let him die. In the face of that, Alex was willing to gamble on the preposterous.

"I have to do this Nathan," Alex said softly as she stood poised over Vin's open chest ready to begin the surgery. "If I don't, he'll die and I'll spend my entire life regretting I never took the chance."

While he was dubious at their chances of success, Nathan had to admit a slim chance of life was better than no chance at all. Alex was one of the best medical minds he knew and if she believed so earnestly this could be done, it was impossible for him not to wish for it too. Besides, she was right. They did not have a choice and at this point Nathan was willing to try anything to save his friend's life, even this experimental procedure.

Alexandra Styles took a deep breath as she picked up her first instrument and prayed to the powers that be, to guide the hands her father had once claimed to be surgeon's hands. Letting out a slow exhale, she cantered herself and remembered what was at stake when she stared at Vin whose breathing was becoming dangerously shallow, despite their best efforts to keep his vitals stable.

The procedure was not complex in theory. With the jeweller's magnifying glass to give her an enlarged view of the delicate veins within the chest cavity and every lamp in the room lit so brightly it was almost glaring, Alex was ready to begin. She would have to snip away the damaged section of artery and replace it with Will Richmond's transplant. If successful, the replacement should work as effectively as the one destroyed, allowing them to finally remove the bullet lodged so precariously in his heart. It was the fine sutures that would ensure the success of the operation and the jeweller's glass would allow the magnification necessary for such delicate work.

"You ready?" She asked Nathan.

The healer nodded. "No, I ain't." He admitted honestly.

Alex could not fault him for his trepidation. After all, not even a qualified surgeon, let alone a healer attempting accreditation ever tried what they were attempting to do. To date, the technique was used to treat aneurisms, not traumatic gunshot wounds. Still, while Nathan was nervous about the operation, Alex was not. A strange serenity had come over her in the last few seconds. In surgery, she had to be completely confident. She could not be any other way when holding Vin's life in her hands.

Nevertheless, Alex spared herself a moment to gaze lovingly into Vin's face and knew he would have faith in her to do well by him. That alone, gave Alex the strength to be the doctor he needed. At this moment of course, he had no idea she was about to embark on something untried and dangerous to save his life. She hoped he could understand why she was willing to make the gamble.

 _Enough of this_ , she told herself silently. Time was short and they needed to begin. Turning to the instrument tray, she let out another breath.

Picking up a scalpel, Alex said softly, "Let's begin."

* * *

When Chris Larabee and company rode into town later that evening, his first destination was the saloon. After searching every possible watering hole between here and Texas, they had come up empty and Billy was still out there somewhere in the clutches of Ella Gaines. Not even bothering to appraise Mary of the situation because until he brought home her son, there would be nothing he could say to her to make up for this unforgivable situation. He could not blame Mary for her anger because she was right. He should have told her about Ella or at least made her aware of the danger before she chose to bring Billy home.

"Why don't you go see Mary," Buck suggested as they made their way towards the saloon. Buck had been told how strongly Mary reacted to learning Ella's part in Billy's abduction and it pained him to see Chris so tormented. He knew Chris was twisting inside with guilt and wished there were some way to help his friend. Perhaps if Chris would just speak to Mary, the enmity between them would end. After all, Chris was the closest thing Billy had to a father and Mary needed him more than ever at a time like this.

"Stay out of this Buck." Chris said sharply, his tone so cold and grating, it was reminiscent of the days when the seven first banded together in Four Corners. Buck hated seeing the return of that sombre gunslinger, wallowing in despair and the guilt of not being there for his wife and child when it mattered most.

"All right," Buck declared, deciding if Chris did not want to be helped there was little he could do about it. Experience with the gunslinger taught him that much over the years. Besides, it was not like he didn't have problems of his own, what with Inez avoiding him like the plague and maintaining their encounter was just another night, when clearly it had not been to either of them.

"We'd better find Billy soon," Josiah commented as Buck let Chris walk on ahead. "He's getting worse."

"I know it." Buck sighed, giving Chris a pained look as he watched the gunslinger lean across the counter where Inez soon met him to take his order for a drink. "Unfortunately, Ella has got money to hire herself some good talent. Vin tracked her for almost a week after she got away from us and there weren't no sign of her anywhere."

"I wonder where Ezra is." J.D. commented noticing the table the gambler customarily occupied to be empty.

"I don't know." Buck answered and then realised that neither Vin nor Nathan were around either.

Suddenly, Chris left the bar abruptly and turned back towards them. His expression seemed even grimmer than ever and Buck swore inwardly, wondering what had happened now? Did they never get a respite from trouble?

"Vin's been hurt." Chris announced as he brushed past them.

"Hurt?" Buck exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Charlotte Richmond's husband." The gunslinger replied as he continued towards the door and did not have to look behind his shoulder to know his friends would soon be falling into step behind him.

"Oh shit!" Buck swore knowing how ugly things had become the last time Vin Tanner and Will Richmond fought over a woman. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough from what Inez told me." Chris answered tautly. "Richmond is dead but he got Vin first, in the chest."

Inez told Chris Vin had been taken to Alex's clinic and Chris hoped his best friend's injuries were not as bad as the lady bartender described. No one spoke as the party made its way to Alex's clinic, as if they had not enough troubles lately. A chest wound could mean anything but if Chris was this worried then they had reason to be as well. Judging by the way their luck had been lately, there was every reason to assume the worst.

After the past few days, Buck had learnt it was not wise to be optimistic about anything.

 

  
  



	8. The Needle in the Haystack

When Vin Tanner awoke, the first thing that came to mind was the realization the stagecoach he was trying to catch would have reached Sweetwater by now.

Despite the pain assaulting him in waves upon regaining consciousness and the heaviness pressing his limbs against the bed, Vin knew he had to get up. Gritting his teeth, he bit down hard as he fought against the limitations of his body to get upright. However, while he managed to send the command to his brain, his body balked at the notion and refused to cooperate, exercising the good sense he was incapable of displaying at the moment. All Vin managed to do, was shift slightly against the mattress before surrendering to the inevitable with a groan of exasperation.

Lying back against the bed, the pain having properly humbled him to the reality of his situation, Vin took stock of where he was. He recognised Alex's clinic immediately. With that realisation came other memories as well, in particular the ugly scene that was most likely the reason he was in this place, wounded and helpless. Will Richmond. The ground awash with blood. Charlotte's scream. Vin knew without doubt he killed Charlotte's husband and knowing it, made him wince in anger and dismay. It had been for nothing. Richmond had gotten it so wrong and pushed things to a conclusion that was not justified by the misunderstanding.

Then out of nowhere, his anguish at Will Richmond's death was banished with two simple words.

"Hello cowboy."

Hearing her voice made his breath catch and for a second, Vin closed his eyes to thank all the deities who might have made this miracle possible, for bringing her back to him. Twisting his neck so he could see her, Vin ignored the pain at the attempt, only to feel Alex's palm against his cheek sparing him the effort. She was sitting at the side of his bed, smiling at him while still clad in the same dress she wore when boarding the stage. Despite his weakened state, seeing her beautiful face regarding him with that familiar smile of affection did more to aid his recovery than all the medicine in the world. Once again, he thanked God she was not in some hotel room in Sweetwater, trying to decide how to live her life without him.

"Alex." Vin managed to say. His voice was as weak as the rest of him.

"You know," Alex spoke, trying to hold the smile but the sheer relief at seeing him alive and well was making it almost impossible to hold back the tears of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. In the last few hours before this moment, Alex had real reason to believe they would never exchange another word with each other again. "You could have just said you were sorry. I would have forgiven you without you going out and getting yourself shot."

Vin managed a little smile before he whispered back. "That's what happens when you throw me out of your door."

"I shouldn't have done that." Alex blinked, the dam behind her eyes finally breaking and the deluge that followed was filled with regret at her foolishness. "I'm so sorry Vin."

Vin could never stand to see Alex cry and the redness in her eyes told him she had been doing quite a lot of it. Not to mention, the dark circles against her golden skin, told him she was exhausted. How badly had he been hit that she was reduced to this state? He wished he could touch her and feel the silk of her skin against his fingertips and assure her he was alright but it would be a lie he could not conceal. He felt as bad as she probably knew him to be. Instead, he chose to say the words he should have said the instant she slammed the door in his face.

"No, I'm sorry Alex." His voice was a soft croak. "I let her get to me."

"Don't talk," she stopped him from going any further because after the last few hours, their argument felt not only foolish and petty, it just didn't matter at all. "You need your rest."

"Was I hit bad?"

Was he hit bad? If only he knew what she and Nathan went through during the hours it took to repair the damage inflicted on him by Will Richmond's gun. Between Alex's attempts to make the fine sutures necessary for the transplant to hold and Nathan keeping Vin's vitals steady throughout the procedure, the hours that ticked by were painfully slow. There were moments during the surgery Alex thought he was going to die on the table and the only thing that kept both healers from giving up was their stubborn refusal to let a small piece of lead get the better of them.

"Bad enough." Alex responded, deciding there was no need for him to hear the details. Right now, she was just grateful he was conscious enough for them to exchange a few words.

When Alex operated on Ezra for the first time, she believed it was the hardest thing she had ever done. Ironically, it was also the same night, she realised she might have feelings for Vin. The terror she managed to keep at bay while operating on Vin, was nothing less than paralysing. Never had the stakes felt so high or failure so unacceptable. Fighting to keep him alive drove home to her just how much she loved him. It made the unpleasantness wrought by Charlotte and her words feel distant and far away. Alex could not imagine why she ever let it get in the way of how they felt about each other to begin with.

"Vin, I love you." Alex whispered softly as she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "I shouldn't have over reacted the way I did. I should have listened when you tried to apologize."

"I was being a dang fool." He muttered weakly. "I let her get inside my head and make me crazy." Vin was unafraid to confess it was the plain truth of the matter. He was so grateful Alex was here right now, he was willing to say anything to keep them from being parted again. Until that moment, when she was ready to board the stage and leave Four Corners forever, Vin never realised how much of him she would be taking with her.

"She made us both a little crazy," Alex brushed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. "Let's just put it behind us okay?"

Alex did not want to spoil things by lingering too long on all the wrongs committed by Charlotte against them both. The arrival of Vin's past love clouded their judgement and now that they were given a stark reminder of what was really important, there was no reason to punish themselves over their mistakes. As for Charlotte, she had lost a great deal more than whatever affection Vin still had for her, she also lost a husband and retribution seemed pointless in the face of that.

"My clothes here?" He grunted painfully, trying to lift his head to look around the room.

"Lie back." Alex stopped him gently from continuing the attempt. He was extremely weak and while his consciousness was a good sign, he was nowhere out of danger and Alex would tolerate no stress on his body until he had a few more days to stabilise. What she and Nathan had done was risky and there was still no real guarantee Vin's condition wouldn't relapse.

"Your jacket's here." She said looking around the room and located his buckskins draped across a chair. Only his favourite coat and his pants had survived the procedure, everything else was too soiled with blood.

"I need it." He said leaning back, painfully aware she was right about him not moving too much. Even that small effort drained him and he started to feel the pull of slumber tugging at him again. However, Vin was not going to surrender to it until he accomplished this one little task.

Confused at what could be so important, Alex retrieved the heavy skin coat and brought it to him. "What do you need?"

"Inside pocket." He strained to say and Alex fumbled through the insides of the coat, noting the stains of blood on the leather and reminding herself to have it cleaned for him later.

It took a few moments for her to feel what he intended her to find but Alex knew what it was the instant her fingers touched the soft velvet. Removing it slowly, she stared at the small box for a long while before she raised her eyes to meet his.

"I got that for you the day you were in Sweetwater." He responded, struggling to stay awake because he wanted to see her face when she saw it and he was unwilling to wait any longer before presenting it to her. "Open it."

She wanted to say he need not have wasted his money on such tokens because she knew how he felt about her, now more than ever. Still  Alex remained silent and lifted the lid before she took in the sight of the delicate band of gold, with a single jewel perched on top. It glimmered under the dim light of the room and to Alex, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, trying to hide how overcome she was by the thing and immediately removed it from the box to slip it on the appropriate finger.

"Ezra helped me pick it." Vin eased back into his pillow with a satisfied smile on his face at her reaction.

"You both have good taste." Alex replied leaning over to kiss him again on the lips when suddenly she heard the familiar voice of Chris Larabee behind her.

"I'm guessing he's feeling better." The gunslinger teased with a faint smile as he stood at the entrance to the room with the rest of the seven behind him.

Alex withdrew immediately and threw a smirk in his direction. "Very funny. He's doing better, but nowhere out of the woods."

"How you doing Pard?" Chris asked approaching the bed as Alex stood back to let Vin visit with his friends. Chris's greetings was soon joined by a chorus of similar salutations and well wishes from the rest of the seven giving Alex the opportunity to leave the room to get cleaned up.

"I've been better." Vin replied, glad to see his friends again. "I guess I ain't as good as Buck when it comes to avoiding pissed off husbands."

"Well that takes a special knack and a lifetime of know-how." Buck grinned, glad to see Vin was well enough to joke.

"And the ability to jump out of windows like a jackrabbit." Josiah smiled.

"I ain't ready to try that yet." Vin chuckled and regretted the exertion as soon as he did it. The pain registered in his face and quickly prompted Nathan into acting.

"Now let that be a lesson to you," Nathan declared. "You ain't gonna be moving out of that bed for a while and you're going to have to take it easy. Miss Julia says she'll lend a hand and look in on you while you're here."

Ezra gaped at Nathan in a mixture of shock and horror, unable to imagine even to the slightest degree Julia playing nursemaid to anyone. As it was, he was rather stunned how much Billy Travis had taken to her. "Mr Tanner, I weep for you."

"We're glad you're okay Vin," J.D. responded, not as jaded as the rest of his companions to hide how he really felt about knowing the tracker had survived the gun battle with Charlotte Richmond's husband.

"Thanks J.D.," Vin smiled weakly at the younger man before turning to Chris again. "Any word on Billy?"

"No," Chris replied tautly. "Nothing."

"It's like they've fallen off the face of the earth." Buck muttered unhappily. "No one has seen them and if they had, they ain't talking."

"And we've been mighty persuasive." Josiah added. 

Vin looked at Chris and saw just how tormented his friend was about this and knew Chris was bitterly regretting not pulling the trigger when Ella was in his sights. At the time, Vin had voiced his opinion Chris should have killed her because women like that tended to come back.

Something in Ella's eyes told Vin she was not going to give up so easily and she was just crazy enough to come at Chris again. Chris had not been her first victim. There had been many and somehow, her past lovers became objects of her obsession. She pursued them relentlessly and did not let them go until they lost everything or she was forced to kill them. Vin knew she had yet to reach that stage with Chris but with Billy in her hands, she was getting closer.

"I wish I could be of some help instead of being stuck here."

"It's okay pard," Chris said quietly. "This ain't your fault. Its mine." The gunslinger stepped abruptly away from the tracker to avoid showing everyone how badly he felt about Billy even though he was certain they knew anyway.

"You weren't to know she'd come back Chris." Buck replied automatically, always quick to absolve Chris of his guilt because he was already feeling so much of it.

"It doesn't matter," he shrugged and continued walking out of the room, pausing long enough to cast a glance in Vin's direction. "Take it easy Vin, I'll drop by later."

A heavy pall remained in the room after Chris left. No one spoke of it but they were all aware the cloud hanging over them and would remain as long as Billy Travis remained missing. Vin ached for the gunslinger, aware as they all were, Mary and Chris had not spoken since the night Billy was taken but he understood the widow's rage and her terrible fear. Ella Gaines had no misgivings about burning alive a five-year-old in his bed when she sent Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam. She would have even less hesitation about harming Billy who by her reckoning, wasn't even Chris's child.

"We've got to find Billy." Buck exclaimed in frustration. "The longer things stay like this between Chris and Mary, the worse it's going to get."

"You cannot blame the woman for feeling the way she does Mr Wilmington," Ezra responded. "He is her only child and forgive me for saying this, Mr Larabee should have told her about the deranged Miss Gaines."

"Look," J.D. spoke up. "We can jaw about this til kingdom come but it ain't gonna change nothing. We got to find Billy to make it right. Before it's too late."

"Out of the mouth of babes." Josiah threw the young man a proud smile. "I think Vin needs his rest and I can sure use some food." The preacher replied, agreeing with J.D. that arguing about this would avail them nothing.

Nor would it bring them any closer to locating Billy Travis.

* * *

  
Mary saw Chris's return to town through her window without Billy.

She watched him as he made his way down the street towards the saloon and knew he was forcing himself not to look in the direction of the Clarion as he walked by. She observed his progress down the boardwalk in the shadows of her darkened bedroom window and was able to tell as he moved in that sinewy way of his, he was hurting as much as she. It was a struggle for Mary not to want to throw herself in his arms and allow him to tell her things would be all right. Despite her longing for him, Mary was still furious he had not told her about Ella. They were meant to marry in three days and this was a secret he should not have kept from his future wife.

Mary followed Chris until he disappeared into the saloon before she turned away from the window and started moving through the house with almost wraithlike substance. The silence seemed even more overpowering as she was drawn to Billy's room. Mary knew she ought not to be going in there but her state of mind at the present moment was precarious to say the least. She wanted her son with her so badly, she could do nothing else but linger on the reality of his absence. Attempting to throw herself into her work had done little or no good because she could not stand the quiet that allowed her to do it.

She twisted the knob to the room at the other end of the hall from her own bedroom and pushed the door open. Stepping inside, she could see through the faint light emanating from the hallway, his toys in an ordered mess around the room. Apparently, Billy's idea of cleaning his room was to shove toys and anything he did not consider clothes under his bed. She saw an opened book on the nightstand and picked it up for examination. Peter and the Wolf. Flicking through the pages filled with illustrations of Russian landscapes and wolves bearing sharp teeth, she knew it was a book Chris had given him. It was the sort of thing a little boy would love she supposed as Mary sat on his bed.

She noticed a shirt lying on the polished wood floor and reached for it. Mary started to fold it, not knowing why she was doing this in the dark but requiring something to busy herself with. For reasons, she could not explain, she lifted the cotton shirt to her nose and took a deep breath of it. The material smelled like cookies and dirt. What her mother used to affectionately call 'little boy smells'. She breathed it in and for a moment could almost be forgiven for thinking Billy was in the room with her.

Something inside her snapped and the dam holding back her despair crumbled. Her anguish escaped her like the groaning of machinery or a gale taking a deep breath just before it became a tornado. Mary started to sob loud and unashamedly, terrified of finding her son the way Chris found Adam, knowing she was not as strong as he and would not be able to recover should she have to bury her son like she had to bury Stephen. Mary wept uncontrollably, unable to stand this helplessness gripping her. She wanted her son back and she wanted things to be the way they were with Chris too. She was angry with him but she also missed him and until Billy came back there would be no way to heal the rift that forced them apart.

Mary did not know how long she let her tears run as she buried her face against Billy's pillow, the scent of him doing more harm than good because it was a stark reminder of his absence. She was visited with so many memories of Billy, they seem to spin out of control in her mind, the closer she came to believing he would not be returning to her in one piece. Mary kept replaying things in her mind, his first steps, the way he would smile at her and how he would fall asleep to the sound of her voice. These were things she was not ready to give up and what made the whole situation unbearable was if this was the end of her son's life, then he would go to it alone and without his mother or his friends.

Suddenly, Mary came to a decision. She could no longer bear to wait here and let Chris find Billy because it was becoming painfully obvious the gunslinger had no idea where her son might have been taken. Mary also knew she was sure as hell not going to let Ella use Billy as bait to lure her into another trap. Mary Travis was not helpless and she had resources at her disposal. If Chris's efforts to find Billy were unsuccessful then perhaps a different approach was required. Drying her tears, she stood up from the bed and hurried out of the bedroom, determined this was still going to be Billy's room for a long time to come.

Descending the stairs, Mary started to let her journalistic instincts do the thinking for her. Too long had she been wallowing as the wounded mother when her son needed the resources and the intelligence of the investigator. Mary descended into the lower floor of the house and knew the answer to finding Ella Gaines was in her files. Vin had asked her to make some inquiries about the woman when she first appeared in Four Corners. The tracker had not trusted Ella from the very first and was dubious about the sincerity of her feelings for Chris.

Although Mary confessed to feeling some jealousy by Chris's interest in Ella Gaines, she could not begrudge him for wanting to move on after his wife's death and there had been nothing between them during that period. Mary reached her office and started searching for the folder with all the information she collected about Ella for Vin's perusal. Even though she had to explain most of it to the tracker whose reading skills were rudimentary at the time, what they learned was enough to convince them both they were dealing with someone quite formidable.

Mary pulled open the drawer and sought out the particular file, praying she was correct in assuming the clue to finding Ella's present whereabouts was in her colourful past. Rifling through the list of folders kept neatly in alphabetical order, Mary found it easily enough. The file was not exactly thick and Mary wondered if there was enough information within it to be useful. It didn't matter because she was sick and tired of leaving things to the seven. Easing into the chair behind her desk, Mary scanned through the documents and telegrams collecting dust since Ella's departure from Four Corners.

Of course none of it held the most important facts about the mysterious woman, that she was a fully fledged psychopath who became fixated on the men she knew throughout her life to the point she was forced to murder in order to ensure her access to them. Mary found herself shuddering at the insanity that would drive a woman to do this terrible thing to ten men, not just Chris.

She wondered how terrible it must have been when Chris realised Sarah and Adam were killed for such an unimaginable reason.

Mary glanced through the file, sifting through the documents revealing the ownership of Culpepper Mine, around which of the drama regarding Ella had unfolded during her stay in Four Corners. The woman did not just own that piece of property. There were several with her name on the deeds and it appeared Ella, however she made her money, was extremely good at it. Mary saw small textile stores, shares in a railway and several investments in eastern factories. It appeared should Ella choose to retire, she could do so and still live very comfortably for the rest of her life.

No doubt, it was how she paid an assassin to steal Billy, Mary thought bitterly.

A money trail like this had to leave traces Mary decided, and quickly jotted down the names of the various holdings on a note pad, the deeper she went into the file. There had to be some way of tracing this back to the woman. Ella lived in shadows but to live the way she did and afford the things she had, there must be someone out there she trusted to take care of all this for her.

Mary had contacts in some of the places Ella did business and perhaps someone knew something they did not know was important.

In any case, it was worth a try because Mary was getting her son back, one way or another.

* * *

Billy Travis was afraid.

He tried not to be because he was not a baby anymore and boys were not supposed to be scared. Try as he might to keep this thought in his mind, he found it was easier said than done and no matter how hard he tried to be brave, he still wanted his ma. Billy wanted to feel her arms around him, the way she held him when he used to have those terrible nightmares about his pa's death. He remembered how she would hold him close and whisper in his ear everything was going to be all right.

Right now he really needed to hear those words.

When Billy was whisked away into the darkness from his bed to places unknown, he tried to remain very quiet so his captor might forget he was there and not hurt him. He recalled clearly what Chris had said once when they were in a similar situation, when the men who killed his pa had come for him and Chris at the old house. It was with shame Billy revealed to Chris the secret buried inside him for so long and he expected the tough gunslinger to tell him he was a coward for hiding away when the devil took his father. However, Chris did nothing of the sort and told him he had probably done the smartest thing he could by staying put and being quiet. Thus, Billy resolve to do just that because Chris was never wrong about anything.

No matter how frightened he got, Billy kept reminding himself Chris would come for him because Chris loved his ma and he was Billy's friend. He was Billy's best friend and maybe even his new pa. Billy wasn't so sure about the second part but he believed Chris when the gunslinger promised he would never let anything bad happened to Billy or his ma. Not just Chris though, he knew Vin, J.D., Ezra, Buck, Nathan and even Josiah felt the same way. They would come. He knew this with the unshakeable faith of a child.

All he had to do was sit tight until they did.

In the meantime, his kidnapper had not said much other than to ensure he remained silent throughout the journey with no ideas of escape. Billy did not know where he was and the stranger kept far away from towns so there was no way he could get help even if he daree to run away. The man seemed to know where he was going but felt no inclination to tell Billy or to get too familiar with him. He fed Billy a meal of beans during the breaks in their journey but beyond that did not speak to Billy other than to bark a few stern orders.

They travelled for two days and Billy did not see any sign of Chris or the others but he was sure they were looking for him. ALthough he was very afraid to be alone, he was glad the man did not capture his ma too. Billy had no idea where they were as they moved further and further across the flat plains of the Territory.  He knew he had to be very far from Four Corners because they had not stopped in two days of travel.

When their journey finally ended, Billy was taken to a house on a hill overlooking a town he did not know but didn't seem very different from Four Corners. The man led him into the house and Billy noticed there were many women walking around the place. They regarded him with confusion as Billy was taken upstairs into a room that looked like his ma's parlour but was bigger and seemed to have more expensive things. More expensive but not any nicer.

"You were supposed to bring Mary Travis." The woman who sat at the divan looked at the man critically, her eyes looked hard and the way her chin set made Billy think of one of his meaner teachers at school.

"There were complications." The man answered. "I told you it would be difficult bringing them here alive. That is not what I do. Normally, its simpler to expedite things by eliminating them on the spot."

She shifted her eyes towards Billy and stood up from her chair. Her head tilted slightly as she observed him at length.

"He is a handsome child, isn't he?" She stopped in front of Billy and reached out for him.

Instinctively, Billy stepped back, knowing enough about this woman and her manner to know he did not want her hands anywhere on his person. There was something about her that was frightening, something he could not define but could feel in his bones. She did not seem offended by his reaction but since he backed into his kidnapper, she knew he had nowhere else to go. Billy cringed as she reached for him again and could do nothing as she lay her hand on him... and ruffled his hair.

"I see Chris in him." She said enigmatically.

"He's not Larabee's child." The man pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," she said in a sing song voice. "Chris was going to be his new father. Isn't that right Billy? Your mother was going to set up a nice little arrangement for Chris using you as her lure."

Billy did not understand what she meant with all this talk of lures and arrangements. He could only associate the word lure with fishing but could not comprehend what that might mean in relation to her conversation about Chris and his mother.

"How do you intend to bring his mother here?" She shifted her attention from him and turned her eyes to the man once again.

"That's easy enough," the man replied automatically. "If you had seen the way she pursued me to get her son back, there's no doubt all we have to do is tell her where and she'll come willingly just to get him back."

"Such strong maternal instinct," she snorted derisively. "Chris seems to like them that way. You should have heard Sarah before she died." The woman smiled in way that sent shivers down Billy's spine. "She begged Fowler to let Adam go, right until the last minute. She breathed her last begging for the life of her brat. Of course, it was too late by then, the fire was too thick and no one was getting out of that house, even if Fowler wanted to help her."

Billy saw the man stiffen as if he did not like hearing this and his eyes became darker than hers. At that moment, Billy realised the man was a little afraid of her too. For a brief instance, they shared a strange sort of empathy for each other.

"I have moved people into place who can approach Mary Travis without the lawmen becoming privy to it. If it is done properly, then she will come to us before Larabee and his group have any idea she is gone."

"Good," the woman seemed satisfied by that. "In the meantime, I'll keep this one locked up here." She turned her attention to him again. "Perhaps, we can even get acquainted."

Billy did not know what that meant but he did not like the sound of it at all. Neither did he like the idea of his ma being led her because of him. He had no idea how he was going to do it but he was going to escape this place somehow.

He was not going to let this woman hurt his ma.

* * *

Chris Larabee had a plan.

He was going to drink himself into a heavy stupor until it became easy to fall asleep when he finally chose to retire. It was not the best plan he ever devised to combat his insomnia but at the moment, it would suffice. As he steadily made his way through the bottle of whiskey on the counter before him, Chris decided he would keep filling up his glass until the ache inside him was beaten into submission by alcohol. It was the same plan he used on the numerous evenings following Sarah and Adam's death, when he had lain awake in bed, twisting with guilt at how different things would have been if he had just come home that night instead of staying behind with Buck in Mexico.

Always go with something you know, Chris decided.

He intended to drink himself into a stupor until he could stand knowing it was he who placed Billy in this kind of danger and shattered the trust of the woman he loved. He could not berate Mary for her anger because he did let Ella get away. Not only had he let Ella escape after learning what she had done but he also kept that information from Mary. It had never occurred to him Ella might come back after staying away for so long but he should have guessed. Only one thing could draw Ella out after all this time.

The wedding.

Ella believed he belonged to her, just like she believed the same about all her previous victims. She eliminated Sarah and Adam as if they were some kind of malignancy to be removed from the perfect illusion of their so-called love. The idea sickened Chris to his stomach and made him curse at not killing her when he had the chance. To this day, he did not know why he hadn't done it. For what she had done to Sarah and Adam, she deserved nothing less than a bullet. Even Vin, had wondered why he hadn't. Foolishly, Chris realised the months with Mary had lulled him into complacency, made him believe the threat of Ella was gone for good.

Now he was in a situation where Billy could be the next victim of Ella's insane passion for him.

In some ways, he was unsurprised by her madness. Even during their love affair almost fifteen years ago, it had been a kind of fever for both of them. There was passion and fire, everything a torrid romance ought to be but underlying it all, Chris had to admit being somewhat wary of the ferocity of her love. Loving her was like doing a balancing act on a knife's edge and after a while Chris found it was simpler to give up and move on. Breaking it off had not been easy but never for a second did he believe, she would seek out his wife and son ten years later and murder them.

_That's your problem right there, Larabee, you're always assuming things with Ella._

For a man who was known to always have all angles thought out before disaster could strike, it was hard realizing he had underestimated Ella so badly. He should have told Mary about her and the danger she represented. Chris was unashamed to admit he did not like discussing her with Mary, not just because Ella was responsible for Adam and Sarah's death but because he still couldn't believe he once cared for someone like her.

"Chris." He heard her voice and swung around immediately in his stool to find himself on the receiving end of a gaze from Mary's blue-grey eyes.

"Mary." Chris swallowed, surprised she sought him out.

"I think I know of a way to find Ella but I can't do it alone." She stared at him trying to be aloof but not quite managing it.

He could tell she was still angry with him but not to the extent she was the night Billy was taken. It surprised him she had come to the saloon at this time of night but then when it came to Billy, Mary was never concerned about convention. Until he saw her face to face, Chris did not realize how much he missed being with her and her eyes reflected the same thing as she regarded him. The past few days had been private nightmare where he fought the urge to do as Buck said, to go and apologize because he knew the gesture would have more weight if he could bring Billy home to her. Unfortunately, his efforts to find her son were laughable and Chris was starting to believe he would never recover Billy and his days with Mary were done.

"How?" Chris asked, breaking the pause of his ruminations.

Mary took up the stool next to him, oblivious to the looks she was getting from some of the patrons. Even Inez was wise enough to stay at the other end of the counter although the bartender did look up at them periodically to see if things were still remaining civilized. "When Ella first made her appearance in town, Vin came to me and asked if I could look into her background."

Chris was hardly surprised by that. From the first, Vin had never really trusted Ella.

Understandably, Chris's judgement had been somewhat clouded at the time but Vin had a scent for trouble almost as strong as his own. From the onset of Ella's reappearance in his life, the tracker had been cautious of her intentions and had made private inquiries of his own. He had not thought Vin would bring Mary into it but then considering Mary's connections out of town, it was only sensible that he would.

"What did you find?"

"I don't know what the situation is now but when she came to Four Corners she had a small fortune. She owns deeds to factories, mines, big city stock.  Ella is  quite the business woman." Mary said with a hint of bitterness because it was all this affluence that allowed her to hired assassins to kill Chris's family and possibly Billy as well.

"She always knew how to land on her feet," Chris muttered, wishing it were anything but so.

"Most cats do that." Mary said snidely.

Despite the grim situation, Chris could not help but let a smile steal across his features at the venom in her voice. There were women who became very shrewish when they were angry but not Mary Travis. In her rage, she was a sight to behold. Remembering she had come here for a reason, he kept his mind centered on her matter at hand.

"Anyway," Mary continued. "There's a lot of money being moved from place to place to buy these businesses. I am assuming she can't have done all this herself." She presented Chris with all the paperwork she had on the subject of Ella Gaines. "This is a wide area we're talking about, scattered throughout the Territory."

Chris was never one for paperwork since he relied on what he could see, not the hearsay to be found on scraps of paper. However, his time with Mary had made him a partial believer and as he scanned the documents before him, he came to the same conclusion she did. Ella had been doing brisk business across the Territory, buying up small shops and investing in businesses in boomtowns. She had to make herself quite wealthy to keep up with her extracurricular activities.

"I don't think she travelled to these individual places herself. She has to earn her money somewhere if what you told me about her was true. I think she has someone who deals with all this for her. Perhaps a lawyer or an accountant. In any case I think if we dig deep enough, we can find a name. Whoever this person is, she must trust him to place all her affairs in his hands and since she has to be in hiding now, it would make sense she would still be using him. After all, someone new is someone she'd have to trust and I don't think she's stupid enough to do that."

It was a long shot. Chris could tell even Mary knew this because they were just assuming there was someone in Ella Gaines's past who hid in the shadows and conducted her business affairs. Still it was a place to start since they had no other leads. Neither Mary nor Chris were willing to wait until Ella's assassin used Billy to coerce Mary into surrendering to him, Ella wanted Mary and Billy alive so she could be present when they died. It was the only consolation he could take from this whole miserable situation, that Ella would be patient and wait until Mary was brought to her before doing anything to Billy.

"Assuming he exists, how do we find him?" Chris put forward, intrigued by Mary's deductions on this matter. He had to admit that her journalistic instincts were a treasure onto themselves sometimes.

"I have contacts in most of these towns," Mary said taking a deep breath. Franklin had not been too impressed with her when she dragged him from his dinner and made him send a series of telegrams across the Territory. However, the man had been quite understanding when he realized this was for the recovery of Billy and only required an extra piece of cake at the wedding as payment. "I've asked my contacts to talk to the people who owned these businesses previously. Perhaps we can find this man by learning how contracts for sale were exchanged. Was the transaction conducted through the post or hand delivered? That sort of thing. I am hoping I will get answers by the end of tomorrow."

Chris was impressed by her efforts and had to admit he would have never considered going down this route to find Ella. However, Mary's resourcefulness never ceased to amaze him and when she was properly motivated, like she was now, she could be a juggernaut of relentless determination. It made him all the sorrier he did not tell her about Ella because Mary would have been able to take precautions with Billy.

"What do you need me for? You seem to have things well in hand."

Mary shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying not to notice the anguish in the ice blue depths of his eyes. She could tell how much pain he was in despite the indifferent mask he wore on his face. More than ever, Mary felt ashamed of how she had treated him that night, even though she felt justified in her anger.

Since she embarked upon this course of finding Ella herself, Mary allowed her anger to dissolve enough to remember she still loved this man even though he had wronged her greatly by not telling her about Ella. However, what witnessed in his eyes during the last few minutes told her that he was feeling more guilt than she could ever punish him with. Not just for Billy but for Sarah and Adam as well.

"If we find this man, I don't think he'll just tell us where Ella is." Mary said softly, hiding her softening heart from him for the moment. "If he's as loyal as I believe he is, he'll try to protect her."

"Not necessarily." Chris pointed out. "He may be handling her business but he may not know she's crazy or a murderer."

"Arguments I'm sure you can use on him when the time is right." She returned. "In any case, I don't think I'm going to make him talk. That's your job in this expedition."

Chris nodded slowly, ready to agree to anything if it meant bringing Billy back to her. "When you get a name, I'll be here." He said shortly and reached for the bottle before him.

She stopped his hand before he could reach it.

"Chris," Mary took a deep breath and met his surprised gaze. "Have you eaten?"

"Not hungry." He grunted.

Which actually translated into a 'no' but Mary knew when he was just being difficult. It was impossible not to love this man with the passion she did and not know anything about his habits. "I've got some dinner on the stove," she said gently, finding a hint of amusement in his brooding manner. Mary could tell he was sulking a little. "Why don't you come share it with me?"

"Are we friends again?" He asked trying to hide the hope in of his eyes.

"Yes we are," she nodded slowly and decided to be honest with him about how she felt at the moment. That was the only way either of them was going to get past this. Mary did know she loved him despite everything that happened and there was no question he loved Billy almost as much. Their love should be bringing them together at a time like this, not forcing them apart. If they could not endure this hurdle before they even reached the altar, how on Earth would they survive the next fifty years together?

"Chris I am still mad at you for not telling me about Ella but I know you love Billy too and you would never intentionally let any harm come to him."

She saw the emotion drain into his eyes even though a stranger would be hard pressed to think he was staring at her with anything but indifference.  
"I don't know why I didn't tell you about Ella. Maybe I was a little afraid."

"Why?" She asked puzzled. "The woman is a psychopath. It's not your fault she fixated on you."

"Maybe if I walked away fifteen years ago, maybe Sarah and Adam would still be alive." He whispered, finally admitting what had been tumbling around in the darkness of his mind ever since he learnt the truth about Ella and her part in his family's murder.

Mary placed her hand on Chris's cheek and felt her heart ache for him because it was a terrible burden to carry around and suddenly, her anger at his not telling her diminished even more.

"Chris, there was no way you could know she was capable of this. She's done this to ten other men which she means she's very good at hiding her obsession. I said things the night Billy was taken I wish I hadn't because I was angry. He's my son and the only thing in the world I have left of Stephen. When I found out you knew what she had done and let her go, I just snapped. I love you Chris, I always will and right now, we need to be clear on that if we're going to find our son."

Chris looked up at her in surprise. He had never heard her say she considered them both Billy's parents. Not that he was complaining, he welcomed the description because it was true. Chris had felt it since that first afternoon Billy spied him carving that wooden horse on the boardwalk. They had regarded each other quietly, sensing an unspoken bond borne out of secret pain and filling a void in each other left empty for far too long. It was more than just the fact he was Mary's son that drew Chris to Billy, it was seeing the familiar shadow in the boy's eyes. Chris had seen it every time he looked in a mirror and it rocked the hardened gunslinger to the core that a child should know such pain.

"We will find him, Mary. I promise you." Chris said firmly because Adam was gone and Billy was still alive and before he let Ella take their child away from them, he'd kill her a dozen times over. This time there would be no pause or reprieve for Ella Gaines. When they met, it would be for the last because she was sure as hell not taking another family from Chris Larabee again.

* * *

Billy stared out the window and saw the town in the distance like some mecca he would never reach. He was kept in the attic of the house and shared the space within the huge room with dusty old things and the spiders who built their homes in the corners that allowed for web building. He rummaged through the collection of boxes, filled with an assortment of things, ranging from clothing to hats, books yellowed with age, the odd bits of furniture forgotten and growing dusty. Some of the objects were interesting and helped pass the time away but there was nothing to help him out of his present predicament.

He was still trying to be brave like Chris but the fear kept creeping in despite Billy's best efforts to ignore it. As the darkness loomed and the shadows crept their black tendrils around the candle and bedroll provided for him, Billy felt it clench his heart and paralysed his thoughts. In those moments, he wanted his ma so badly he was almost driven to tears. Only Chris's words to be brave held back the tide of tears.

He was let out of his prison twice a day to take care of his toilette and had sought desperately for escape during those times. Unfortunately, the sour faced young woman who was assigned to keep an eye on him was sharp as she was nasty and she made certain no such opportunity availed itself. He saw nothing of the woman responsible for his incarceration but he knew every one of the women in the large house was afraid of her. Billy did not understand why this was so since they all chose to live with her. Of the man who had stolen him out of his bed, Billy saw nothing. It frightened Billy to no end to think if the man was not here then he must be trying to find his ma and do those terrible things the woman said he had to do.

Effectively trapped until Chris and his ma found him, he did not know what to do and kept staring out that window longingly, knowing sometime soon, he would see Chris riding over the horizon with Vin, J.D. and all the others. His mother would hold him in her arms and tell him she loved him and Julia who smelled so good would let him eat ice cream with her again and talk to him like he was her beau, not Ezra.

Billy would work that complication out later.

He was still staring out the window when he heard the door open behind him. It was night and he did not expect anyone to come in until morning, when his minder would bring him breakfast. Billy cringed against the glass, fearing reason for this unexpected visit. Maybe they were not going to wait for his ma to get here; maybe they were going to kill him now! Billy had worked himself into a proper state of exhaustion when Ella stepped through the door and let her gaze sweep across the boy's prison to seek him out.

"Hello there." She said pleasantly, carrying a plate covered with a dishcloth.

Billy did not speak and his eyes stared at the plate, wondering if she intended to poison him with what she was hiding.

She stepped towards the bed roll where he slept and sat down before the candle. Billy watched her as she nestled herself on the floor and uncovered the plate that held a tasty selection of pastries with cream and sugar. Despite himself, Billy felt a twinge of interest at the assortment. She met his gaze once she became comfortable.

"I'm sorry the accommodations aren't better." She replied as she motioned for him to come forward. "Unfortunately, the situation requires your presence here to be kept anonymous for the time being."

Billy did not know whether or not he should answer her but since she was trying to make friends, it might help his escape if he responded to those advances. Slowly, he crept away from his position at the window sill and approached her cautiously, his eyes never moving from her before he finally neared close enough to sit down across her.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" She smiled almost warmly. "Take one." She gestured towards the platter of food. When he did not take one, she picked up a piece herself and bit into it, proving to the boy that she did not intend to harm him with anything she would not partake of herself. Only after she had done that, did he reach for a piece of pastry and started nibbling at it in conservative bites.

"You're a cautious one." Ella commented. "Just like Chris."

The mention of Chris sparked Billy's interest and he wondered how she knew the gunslinger. "How do you know Chris?"

"Chris and I go way back," Ella smiled, pleased she had received some kind of reaction from him. He was such a beautiful child she thought. He looked so much like Chris with his golden hair and his blue green eyes. Even though Chris did not have any part in conceiving this child, Ella could see the gunslinger in him. "I knew Chris when he had just gotten out of the army. Do you know Chris fought in the war?"

Billy shook his head in response. He had not known but then Chris did not like talking about the past. Billy had come to know that much about the gunslinger during their time together. Still, he was not surprised Chris was once a soldier.

"He was so handsome," Ella mused. "Utterly beautiful to look at. Back then he was still the fastest man with a gun I knew. We were both so much prettier then." She smiled and offered Billy another look of remembrance. "Chris used to fight anyone who looked my way wrong. He would usually win."

Well that did not surprise Billy. Nobody could beat Chris at anything, Vin maybe but no one else Billy had seen or heard. "He still does."

"We could have gone anywhere," she sighed as she continued her reminiscing. "Seen the world and done anything. You like to see the world Billy?" She asked.  
Billy nodded because he was eight years old and the world he knew was small. There must be more out there and Billy had to confess he did want to see it all someday. Vin always told him there were more than just towns and farms. There were hills that ran so far into the distance, they looked like oceans of green and mountains so tall that you could reach the ice in just a day. Buck told him there were places were the wine was cheap and the women were cheaper. He did not know what that meant but he was glad to hear it since most of the dollar his grandpa had given him for the journey to Four Corners was gone.

"I knew it." She smiled brightly and pushed the plate at him to take another pastry. "I think that if you helped me, we can convince Chris to come away and see the world like he was meant to."

"What about my ma?" Billy blurted out.

Her expression darkened then, just a fraction but enough for Billy to know he should not have made mention of his mother. He feared what would be the consequences of this error and held his breath until she spoke again.

"You ma doesn't count." Ella said neutrally. "Chris loved me first and he will love me last."

"But he's marrying my ma." Billy pointed out, wondering why she was so mistaken about that point.

Ella leaned closer to him as if she were about to divulge some great secret that only he could hear. "Chris is marrying your ma because of you. No other reason. He doesn't love her, not the way he loves me and the only reason he ever gets married is because of children. So, this time," she smiled as she said this. "He'll come to me for sure because I have what he wants."

"You have a child?" Billy asked, even though it was becoming terribly clear to him what she meant by that declaration.

Ella Gaines looked at him with a smile and confirmed. "Of course, I do, silly. It’s you."

* * *

In light of Mary's plan, Chris sent the others out to continue the search for Billy while he remained in town. The waiting was driving Mary crazy and the only way she could cope with her anxiousness was to throw herself into work. When Chris left her, she was busily immersing herself in writing a letter of confirmation to the local school board a teacher had been found for the new semester. Chris was grateful for anything that would take her mind of this endless waiting game and found himself similarly distracted once she was occupied. With the others gone, Chris found himself visiting Vin at the clinic where the tracker was convalescing until he was well enough to be moved to alternate lodgings.

"You think it will work?" Vin asked after Chris had told him the details of Mary's plan.

"It’s something." Chris replied as he stretched out on a chair next to the tracker's bed. "We ain't got any other leads so far."

"Ella knows how to go to ground." Vin had to admit, remembering how impossible it had been for him to track her down after she fled the last time.

"So how long do you plan on being lazy like this?" Chris asked with a hint of teasing, knowing how much Vin hated to be in bed, well alone any way, or indoors for that matter. According to Alex who was away at the moment running errands, Vin's condition was still precarious and would most likely be out of commission for weeks.

"Very funny," Vin scowled, his voice was just raspy enough to tell Chris he was still very weak from the surgery the day before. Even now, he seemed balanced on the edge of slumber and Chris would have left if not for Vin's request he remain at least for a while. "A couple of weeks, says Alex." Vin frowned unhappily at the idea that he would be immobile for so long but the nature of his injury was nothing to take lightly.

"You're gonna drive her crazy." Chris joked. "It's a good thing you two made up."

"Yeah," Vin agreed and then looked at Chris. "Things between you and Mary okay?"

Vin was pleased to know the duo had reached some sort of compromise. He hated to think they were at odds with each other at a time like this.

"They're better." Chris replied, unable to deny the pleasure in his voice knowing Mary did not feel him responsible for Billy even though she was still angered he had kept Ella's part in Sarah's death a secret. Chris could not begrudge her that even if she understood why he had done it. "Have you seen or heard from Charlotte?"

"No," Vin shook his head, not wishing to see her either. "Alex told me she called in to see if I was okay but that's it." In truth, Vin had no desire to see her at the moment. He was still angry at how she had tried to manipulate him and even angrier he had been placed in a position to take Will Richmond's life.

Chris would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that encounter.

"I don't want to see her." He admitted to his best friend. "I ain't happy I had to shoot Richmond especially when there was no reason for it. There weren't anything going on between me and Charlotte and he died for no reason. No reason at all."

"It wasn't your choice Vin," Chris said sympathetically. "It was his. At least you and Alex got things sorted out. I saw her wearing the ring." He had noted the bauble on the doctor's finger on her way out and had to admit that Ezra certainly knew how to pick jewellery. It almost made him wonder if he should have dragged the gambler along when he was selecting Mary's wedding band.

"Yeah," Vin nodded, smiling for the first time. "It only took me getting shot to have the sense to give it to her."

Chris was about to respond when he heard the door burst open and frantic footsteps running through the length of the clinic, approaching them rapidly.

Chris and Vin exchanged glances briefly as the gunslinger let his hand drop instinctively to his peacemaker when suddenly, Mary Travis burst into the room breathing hard. She was clutching a number of telegrams in her hand as she hurried to Chris.

"I've got it!" She said breathlessly. "I've got the name."

"Who?" Chris asked as Vin attempted to sit up and winced when he could not.

"His name is Betts." Mary replied as she unfolded the telegrams crushed in her palm. "He was the middle man in at least three business transactions Ella conducted over the last two years. He apparently is a lawyer who deals mostly with business and commercial law."

"Where is he?" Vin asked, wishing he could be some part of this other than lying here uselessly. He hated being laid up like this.

"Eagle Bend." Mary looked at Chris with a smile of pure triumph at this first solid lead since Billy was abducted days ago. "If I start now, I could make it by early afternoon." Chris mused as he looked at the information provided about Mr Betts.

"You mean we." Mary stated firmly.

Chris looked at her. "No, I meant me." He repeated himself with equal resolve. "Mary, it's too dangerous."

"You're going to talk to a lawyer, not take on Ella and her hired goons! I'll be perfectly safe," she protested, hands on her hips which meant her mind was made up on this matter. Chris realized with a familiar knot in his stomach she would not be deterred from this point. "You are not leaving me behind Chris Larabee, not this time. Besides, you know me, I'll be out of sight and mind at the first sign of danger."

"I do know you Mary," Chris returned. "And I also know that you have never been able to stay out of trouble at all. Mary, Ella's crazy and this is not a good idea."

"Chris," Mary said wishing to do this privately and not in front of Vin but this could not wait. "I can’t stay at home waiting to find out if either you or Billy are safe. Please, I need to go and I promise you, I'll stay out of the way. I only want to be there when you talk to Betts." Her eyes implored him in that irresistible way she knew he could not ignore.

Vin tried not to smile as he watched Chris succumb to the lure of those blue-grey eyes. He agreed with Chris Mary should stay here in Four Corners where it was safe but Chris had as much chance of that happening as Vin had convincing Alex he should accompany the gunslinger to Eagle Bend.

"All right," Chris groaned, conceding defeat because she had a right to be there and he could not imagine anything worse than waiting around to hear if the two most important people in his life were living or not. "But once we get what we need from Betts, you are to go home, understand me?" His eyes met hers with burning intensity, which Mary returned in kind.

"Chris," she said properly riled by his superior tone of her voice. "You are not my lord and master, not yet."

"Mary..." Chris repeated, his voice starting to become just a little menacing.

"Okay," she grumbled. "I'll come home as soon as you've spoke to Mr Betts."

"Thank you." He sighed, wishing she did not have to make things so difficult sometimes.

"Hey pard?" Vin called out softly as Mary and Chris said their goodbyes to him and started out of the room. "Good luck."

Chris tipped his hat at the tracker. "We'll find Billy." He said with confidence he did not feel but needed to believe at the moment.

"I meant travelling together to Eagle Bend." Vin teased because the mood needed some alleviation from its present atmosphere of tension.

"I hope you get bedsores." Chris retorted and continued out but did so with a faint smile on his features.

Vin watched them go and told himself if neither returned by nightfall, he was sending Buck and the others after them. Even confined to this room, Vin was sure as hell not going to let Chris face that deranged bitch alone.

 


	9. Ella

"What can I do for you?" The man named Samuel Betts smiled as the couple was shown into his office.

They were a strange pair on first sight but no stranger than any of the other clients in his stable. The woman was extraordinarily pretty with her flaxen coloured hair and her eyes of polished steel. She appeared to be a lady in every sense of the word, refined and elegant with just enough spark to appear intriguing and enigmatic. She swept into the room, like a breath of fresh air. Betts, who was not so old he could not appreciate such loveliness, was very much taken when she was shown inside by Deets, his youthful clerk who would have been similarly enamoured if not for her companion.  
  
The man with her was of an entirely different calibre altogether. His eyes began studying the room closely almost as soon as he stepped into its walls. His piercing blue eyes moved over the confines of Betts's office with a watchmaker's precision, carefully noting everything for future reference.  
  
Even though Eagle Bend was somewhat civilized, it was still a part of the Territory and Betts knew enough about the men who rode supreme within it to recognize the stranger in his black clothes and hard expression was dangerous.  
  
"Mr Betts," the woman smiled warmly, allowing the man to fade into the background as she took the initiative, a gloved hand extended in greeting as she approached. "I am so pleased to make your acquaintance."  
  
"As I madam," he replied, taking her hand in his before brushing his lips against the gloved knuckle in the fashion so favoured by the continent. "Mr Deets tells me you have a matter of great urgency to discuss with me. How may I be of service?" He asked gallantly as he motioned her to sit and shifted his gaze long enough in the man's direction to make the same offer.  
  
"My name is Mary Travis and this is my travelling companion, Mr Larabee." Mary introduced herself to the lawyer named Betts. Betts was in his late fifties, a man who once had a head of hair rapidly thinning into weak strands of grey. He met Mary's gaze with dark brown eyes through a pair of steel framed glasses through which he took in a less than appropriate view of her person.  
  
"Please to meet you both." He repeated. "I take it you require some legal expertise?"  
  
"Actually no," Mary returned. "I am in search of an old friend and I have reason to believe you may have some idea as to where I may be able to find her."  
  
"I see," Betts frowned despite himself, disliking any situation where information had to be disclosed. Lawyers were meant to keep secrets when it came to clients and though he knew he would have to refuse this charming young woman, he did not like having to do it since she was quiet fetching. "Who might this be?"   
  
"I believe you know her as Ella Gaines." Mary revealed and watched the reaction on the man's face change from warm to apprehensive in less than a second. Suddenly, his amiable manner shifted radically.  
  
"I know of no such person." Betts said abruptly, stiffening in his chair at the mention of the name and confirming to both Chris and Mary he knew exactly who Ella was. 

Chris watched Mary's demeanour shift also and she was so much better at it than Betts. When she wanted to play tough, Chris could only marvel at how much tenacity she could display. He saw her straightening in her chair, her posture was erect so he knew her dander was up and she was about to go on the offensive. Chris chose to remain in the background first, allowing her to soften up the good lawyer and if she did not succeed, Chris would tender his argument with a little more insistence.  
  
"Mr Betts," Mary said in a voice reserved for gunslingers and lawmen with strange ideas on how a woman should behave. "Let us not do this dance. I know for a fact that you have acted on behalf of Miss Gaines during several business transactions over the last few years. Now I understand you have to protect the confidentiality of your client but you must see that I mean her no harm."  
  
"I know nothing of the kind madam," Betts retaliated, his gaze more focused on Chris than Mary at this moment. He was starting to become very conscious of the ivory handled peacemaker nestled in Chris's holster. "I do know you have come here under false pretences. I do not believe for an instant you are an acquaintance of this Miss Gaines, whoever she might be." He returned his attention to Mary once more  
  
"I have documented proof," Mary said reaching for the leather document pouch she brought with her. "If you wish to see them, I am more than willing to show them to you but I trust that won't be necessary. Mr Betts, at this point in time, I am assuming your complicity in this matter is just incidental. Do not force me to believe your involvement in Miss Gaines's crimes is intentional."  
  
This time Betts was taken unawares. Chris saw him blink and look up at Mary almost in surprise following her barrage of strong words. The man was not exactly stunned by Mary's allegation of criminal participation on his part but it did shake the rock-hard foundation of his indifference. Betts’s eyes met Chris again, this time the lawyer was scrutinizing him in an entirely different manner than open veiled hostility. Betts was staring at him as if trying to decide if Chris's presence here was merely a tactic of intimidation or whether there was some yet undiscovered reason.  
  
"I am unaware of being involved in any criminal activity." Betts replied, maintaining his facade of cool indifference.  
  
"Mr Betts," Mary renewed her bombardment. "We know you are the main broker of Miss Gaines's business transactions. May I tell you why she is unable to conduct these affairs herself?" Mary glared at him, wondering if he had any idea what he was protecting behind his book of law and legal protocol.  
  
"If you wish." He retorted, seemingly unconcerned but Mary could see it in his manner that he was reeling in shock at the possibility he might be aiding a known criminal.  
  
"She has been linked to the murder of a young mother and her son." Mary said, hiding nothing and seeing Chris flinch slightly as that statement was made.

Betts reaction was more extreme. "Murder?"

When this woman had come forward with her talk of criminal activity, Betts had assumed some form of fraud or robbery on the part of his client. He had not expected murder.  
  
"Yes, murder." She repeated. "She hired an assassin to burn down a house in the dead of night, while the child and mother were asleep in their beds. Now, she is responsible for the kidnapping of another child," Mary rose to her feet and leaned across the desk. "My child, Mr Betts, so you will tell me all that you know."  
  
Betts paused and Chris could see Mary's patience was at and end. He was about to intercede when Mary produced a gun from her purse. It was a small weapon, not much bigger than the derringer Ezra carried at times but it had two bullets that would do the job as well as any six shooter. Chris was across the floor in two lengthy strides as Mary aimed it in Betts's direction. The older man had fallen back in his chair, trying to scramble out of the way as his eyes widened at the sight of the weapon brandished at him.  
  
"Killing him ain't going to help Mrs Travis!" Chris grabbed her arm and shoved the hand holding the weapon in another direction, well away from Betts.  
  
"If he doesn't help, Billy is dead anyway!" She protested, trying to wrench her arm free as she aimed again, this time the barrel was pointed at Betts's head, not his chest like before.  
  
"She's insane!" Betts shouted. He had escaped his chair but his back was to the wall with nowhere to run.  
  
"She ain't insane," Chris declared, struggling with Mary to keep her from pulling the trigger. "She just wants her son back! Gaines kidnapped him less than a week ago."  
  
"She's going to kill him like she killed the others," Mary started descending into tears, her ruthless exterior giving way to despair as she struggled to be free of Chris's grip. "If this bastard won't tell us, he can die like Billy!"  
  
"Mister, if you know something, I suggest you talk." Chris warned. "She's mighty protective of her kin. You should have seen what she done to the last man who tried to hurt her boy!"  
  
"I don't know anything!" Betts burst out stubbornly, unprepared to give in to the belief Mary might actually hurt him.  
  
"It's no use!" Mary wailed, snatching her arm free from Chris and pulling the trigger on the weapon. The gun discharged with a loud burst of sound, sending papers scattering as the bullet dug deep into the table inches from where Betts was seated. The man let out a short squeal of fright and ran to the corner of the room in a desperate bid to escape the line of fire.  
  
"Oh my God!" He exclaimed, breathing hard as he saw the man in black's efforts to restrain the woman to be futile. She was fighting him and yet taking aim at Betts once more.  
  
"Tell her something Mister!" Chris urged as he struggled to renew his grip on Mary's squirming person.  
  
"I don't know anything!" He cried out. "She contacts me from Willow End! In a place called the Ranch! I've only met her face to face once. She used to be a whore and... and... I was her one of her clients. That's how she acquired my services! She's been blackmailing me to do her work because she threatened to tell my wife otherwise! I swear, that's all there is to our association."  
  
"He's lying!" Mary sneered, glaring at him angrily. "He's just trying to save his own skin by throwing us off!"  
  
"No I swear, I'm not lying!" He emerged from his corner and hurried to one of his cabinets to pull open a draw. Rifling through its contents, he produced a folder, not unlike one Mary kept in her own office and spread it open across the desk to see. In it were several pieces of correspondence with the envelopes attached, indicating a return address. It was indeed from a place called the Ranch, in Willow End. "See?" He looked up at her, hoping it was enough to convince this deranged woman and her gun he was speaking the truth. "There it is."  
  
"I think that's enough." Chris winked at Mary with a faint smile.  
  
"You think so?" She asked as she stopped struggling in his arms and appeared to be perfectly reasonable now.  
  
"I think he's telling the truth." The gunslinger regarded Betts whose bewilderment was on the rise. "He's just too scared of you Mrs Travis."  
  
"Well the gun does make all the difference." She chuckled as she met his gaze and returned the weapon. "You certainly know how to get people to talk."  
  
"I normally do this with Vin," Chris confessed, "he does almost as well with his Bowie knife."  
  
"I am in esteemed company."  
  
Betts looked at them both in perfect astonishment, realizing finally he had been duped as the woman stopped her attempts to kill him and appeared as demure and refined as she had been when she first swept into his presence.

"You tricked me." Betts managed to say; angry beyond description at being made a fool.  
  
"Yes we did," Chris nodded and then added with enough menace in his voice to make the earlier threat from the lady pale in comparison. "Do you want to make something of it?  
  
In an instant, the lawyer knew should the man before him get it in his mind to kill him, it would be no ruse. The gunslinger did not have the appearance of someone who would take less than extreme measures and Betts had no wish to be on the receiving end of that predatory stare.

"No." He swallowed visibly, understanding the danger he saw in Chris's eyes. "I just want you out of here."  
  
"Mr Betts," Mary said feeling a little guilty since it appear Betts was as much a victim as anyone else. "My son is indeed kidnapped and Ella Gaines has killed before. We did not wish to resort to these methods but it was absolutely crucial  we had your cooperation. Mr Larabee here favoured shooting all your less vital organs until you told us, I managed to convince him this was less painful or complicated."  
  
Chris smiled at Betts with a purely malicious grin as Mary said that and sent another chill running down the man's spine at the thought of letting this gunslinger do his worst.  
  
"We should go." Mary suggested. "Unless you want to take a run at him?" She asked feeling a little wicked as she toyed with the man's already nervous state.  
  
"No," Chris shook his head, taking a moment to enjoy seeing the man squirm a little. "I think we're done here. Let's go."

* * *

  
When he was informed by telegram Mary Travis had left town suddenly by those he had stationed in Four Corners to keep watch on the widow, he knew only an extremely compelling reason would prompt her departure, and there could be no more compelling reason than the recovery of her son. Although he was uncertain where she could have gone, he had taken a gamble on the resourcefulness of Mrs Travis and questioned his client on any possible clue that might lead the woman to Willow End. 

Ella could think of nothing at first but almost as an afterthought, remembered she had a lawyer in Eagle Bend. Being a journalist meant Travis may have enough acumen to discover the man's identity. Thus, instead of intercepting the widow and Larabee who was her travelling companion in this endeavour while they were on route, he continued on to Eagle Bend and kept Ella's legal adviser under observation until their arrival.  
  
He knew how to fade into the background after years of practice and remained unnoticed when the duo finally made their appearance at Mr Betts's office. He heard the discharge of a weapon and wondered if they killed the lawyer when they could not gain the knowledge of Ella's location. Eagle Bend was still rooted in its frontier past to know not all gunshots ought to be investigated and it was best to leave such incidents to the lawmen residing in the community. In any case, Travis and Larabee emerged from the building a short time later and appeared to be in a hurry.  
  
He did not know if Betts still lived nor was he aware whether or not the man had given the couple information they could use. Since he knew nothing, he remained in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike so he could put the end of this filthy contract well behind him. He did not like anything about this job except he was being well paid to do it. Most of his contracts had some measure of grief coming to them but this woman with her gold hair and her blue eyes had done nothing but fall for the wrong man. Although he seldom allowed sentiment to cloud his judgement in these matters, he felt somewhat sombre for what would have to be done when the time came.  
  
Ella Gaines was a rabid animal and he decided shortly after coming into her employ he would not wish to be in her service following the completion of this current contract. Somehow, it was impossible to not feel dirty after being in her company and he had enough weighing on his conscience without adding her madness to it. 

* * *

  
Mary and Chris left Betts's office filled with a sense of purpose. Even though it did not seem possible they might have a location of Billy's present whereabouts, Mary could not help but let herself be filled with hope they were close to recovering her son. Even Chris seemed confident Betts had told them the truth and if Chris felt such optimism, Mary knew what she felt could not be any false sense of hope.  
  
"What do we do now?" She asked even though she knew what she wanted to do at this moment. At this instance, Mary wanted to get on her horse and ride to Willow End to find Billy. Of course, she knew Chris would never permit it and despite herself, she could understand his reasoning. Ella had proved to be extremely dangerous and Mary did not want to be one more thing Chris had to worry about when he went to recover Billy.  
  
"You're going to the Judge to stay put until this is all over." Chris said firmly with a tone in his voice that tolerated no argument from her as he met her eyes, showing her just how immovable he would be on the subject. "I'll come for you when it's safe and when we have Billy. I'm heading straight out to Willow End."  
  
That  _did_  concern Mary because she did not like the idea of him riding out there alone to face Ella. The woman had proven she was not above hiring help and Chris was just determined enough to believe he could retrieve Billy without the help of the others. Whether or not Chris or any of the seven would admit it, there was a certain mystical quality about their being together that kept them from harm. She doubted if any of the men who rode together could explain it but the thread that linked them together was the same one keeping them alive.  
  
"I'll send a telegram to Four Corners and tell the others where you're headed." Mary suggested. "Promise me you won't do anything until they arrive. I know she won't hurt Billy until I'm there, so you can afford to wait a little."  
  
Chris was not so sure but he did not voice that fear to Mary.

"Yeah do that." He agreed because he would need help if Ella hired men to protect her and it was a likely possibility since she had done the same thing before. "I'm going to head out to this place and check it out. She may be there and she may not. I just want you to be prepared in case Billy ain't there. We knew this was a long shot and it still is."  
  
Mary nodded because it was true. There was no way of knowing if Ella was even at this place Betts described. They were gambling on a great deal and Chris was right, she had to be prepared if her son was not there. It did not mean all hope was lost but she needed to manage her expectations accordingly.

"I know," she said finally, trying to hide how much she dreaded the possibility. She really needed to believe they had a chance of finding Billy alive but even Mary had to be realistic Ella's state of mind made her unpredictable. Her fixation on Chris was a symptom of an illness Mary did not even have the slightest concept of imagining.  
  
"Hey," he said softly, leaning over and planting a tender kiss on her lips as he took her hands in his and held on tight. "Mary, I'll find him." He stated with every intention of making it true for her, even if he had to ride into heaven itself to retrieve the boy. "I'll bring him home to you. I promise."  
  
The well of hidden strength she had drawn upon these last few hours to get herself this far was almost drained completely. All that remained was this terrible emptiness threatening to overwhelm her if she allowed it free rein on her heart. She loved Billy and wanted him home more than anything but she also wanted Chris to come back to her. In two days, they were due to be married and it surprised her, especially now, she wanted very much for the wedding to take place.

"I believe you Chris, just be careful okay?" She urged, letting herself soak in the confidence of his blue eyes and knowing if he promised her that everything would work out, she could believe him.  
  
Chris did not answer but gave her a wan smile before tipping his hat slightly and drawing away. She watched him stride towards the livery where their horses were stabled, his black duster trailing after him. Even in the busy street, he was a striking figure that stood out among the crowd. People stood aside for him, intimidated by the imposing figure he always seemed to cut.  
  
Just like the first time she saw him.  
  
Mary swallowed, feeling inordinately sad as he disappeared into the dust and she reminded herself he needed help when he reached Willow End. She looked over her shoulder as she started walking, trying to catch a glimpse of him and felt a tinge of disappointment when she could not. It was the same every time he rode off somewhere to face God only knew what. Even before she knew she loved him.  When exactly had that been?  It had always felt like she had. From the very first moment he stepped out of nowhere to help Nathan with Vin at his side, he had captured Mary's attention. Could she forget the slight flutter in her stomach as she watched him and Vin striding towards the cemetery, paralysing the entire town? Even then, everyone felt the shift in the wind, the feeling of destiny at work at knowing Four Corners had reached a turning point.

And there was no doubt in her mind, it was a turning point because everything changed after that.

With the coming of the seven, law and order was finally established and the town began to enjoy the fruits of progress. Her own life had changed dramatically as well because she was no longer fighting the good fight alone. The six men who rode with Chris Larabee were more than just her friends, they were her family. And then there was Chris who changed her life with his enigmatic smile that always meant more than it seemed and made her feel passion when she no longer believed herself capable of it.

"Good day Mrs. Travis."

Mary looked up immediately and found herself staring into the dull eyes of the man whose voice she recognized immediately. Her ruminations down the street had been so engrossing she had not seen him sneak right up to her. It took but a second after registering him to feel the barrel of his gun pressed against her belly, while managing to conceal her predicament to the rest of the public.  
  
"Not a sound." He ordered as Mary released a strangled gasp. "I have no compunction about shooting right here Mrs Travis, no matter what my client may desire."   
  
"Where's my son?" Mary demanded, not caring about her own life but needing to know that one bit of information before she would allow him to handle her.  
  
"He is safe." The man looked at her with black eyes. "However, whether he remains that way is entirely up to you."  
  
Mary swallowed, hating it that she had to submit to his will but knowing while her son was in danger, she was his creature. "I'll do whatever you want." She said through gritted teeth. "Just as long as my son is safe."  
  
He smiled triumphantly and responded. "I never doubted you would do anything else."

* * *

Buck Wilmington recognized the face.

He had seen the man several times in Purgatory and knew Four Corners was not the stranger's usual hang out. Despite the fact he was sitting unobtrusively in the corner of the saloon, nursing a drink without any companions at his table, Buck could not shake this feeling there was something going on that did not smell right. He supposed much of his paranoia had to do with what had been happening in town the last few days. With Billy yet to be found, Vin being shot and now Chris and Mary in Eagle Bend on their own, he could be forgiven for being just a little bit paranoid.  
  
"Inez," Buck gestured to the bartender who was trying hard to ignore his presence at the counter. They had been walking around each other on egg shells the past few days and Inez was still reluctant to come anywhere near Buck after their altercation on the floor of this very room. When she remained distant, Buck turned to her again and hissed. "Inez, get over here!"  
  
Inez scowled upon realizing she could not ignore him indefinitely and approached him after a moment. "What is it Buck?" She demanded impatiently.  
  
"Don't get your britches in a knot," he said with as much affection. "That there fella at the table over there, how long has he been here?"  
  
Inez pretended to wipe the table as she glanced slyly in the direction Buck indicated. "A few days," she responded after thinking about it. "The day Charlotte Richmond arrived. Why?" She asked, realizing he had become very serious and Buck did not get that way without extremely good cause.  
  
"I'm pretty sure his name is Lester Croft." Buck mused, keeping his eyes averted to avoid arousing any suspicion. "I've seen him a couple of times in Purgatory. He's a well-known snitch."  
  
"Snitch?" Inez looked at him in confusion.  
  
"They spy on people and sell the information. They keep an eye on things for people who want to know." Buck explained and was clearly troubled by Lester's presence in Four Corners. "So, what is he doing here?"  
  
"Why do you think he's here?" Inez ventured to ask.  
  
"I don't know," Buck retorted as he saw Josiah and Ezra walk into the saloon. "But I'm about to find out."  
  
With that, Buck rose from his stool and strode towards the preacher and the gambler, meeting them halfway across the room. In quiet whispers, he explained to his companions what he suspected and very soon, all three were making their way towards the table occupied by Lester Croft. Only as the weedy looking man saw them coming straight for him, did he realize his surveillance was compromised. Jumping to his feet, he ran past the counter with every intention of escaping through the kitchen door when Inez smashed a bottle over his head as he passed by. She winced as she was sprayed in glass and liquor before looking up at them.  
  
"Did that help?" She asked innocently.  
  
The three men exchanged glances, feeling somewhat ineffectual and embarrassed at the same time before Buck responded. "Just a little but damn it woman, can't you just keep out of trouble?"

* * *

  
Willow End was not difficult to find.  
  
As towns went, it was kind of small, the same way Four Corners was. Chris found it easily enough once he consulted a map. It was located a few hours ride from Eagle Bend and could be reached in a good time from Four Corners if Mary had done what she had promised and sent a telegram to Buck and the others. His horse had recovered sufficiently from the hard ride from Four Corners to Eagle Bend and was able to make good time to Willow End. It was well into night when he arrived in the town and headed towards the saloon. If he wanted to find the location of this place called the Ranch, then it was as good a place as any to begin to make a few inquiries.  
  
Judging from the sound of the place, the Ranch was most likely a house. He knew Ella had no qualms about making her money that way and guessed it to be the only vocation capable of generating the income to keep such close tabs on him for so long and hire men like Fowler. Upon entering the saloon, he found no shortage of people who liked to talk and the cost of a drink or two gained him the information he needed. The location of the Ranch, Willow End's most infamous landmark was situated on top of the hill, in a grand old house that used to belong to someone important but no more.  
  
Once Chris had the information he needed, he paused to consider his options. Should he try to get Billy out now or should he wait until the others arrived? After all, he had no idea of the odds awaiting him inside the building. It would be a tactical mistake to go charging in alone. Ella was crazy enough to want him dead if she could not possess him so he was not that confident regarding his ability to charm her. Still he did not like the idea of playing any kind of waiting game when Billy was in danger. Finally, Chris decided he would take no risks with Billy's life. As Mary stated earlier, Billy was safe as long as she was absent. The most sensible thing Chris could do at this point was to ride out to the place and keep a close eye on it until the others got to town.  
  
It was easy to find the house. Perched on top of a hill overlooking the entire town, the Ranch appeared very much the cathouse it was and, in some ways, very different as well. Chris did not take the main path up the hill and ascended the incline through the line of trees snaking up its north-western face. Keeping under the cover of the trees and the darkness that arrived shortly with sunset, Chris could hear none of the sounds associated with a place of business such as this one. It was strangely devoid of feminine voices or the loud bombastic noises of men with money to spend and an itch to scratch.  
  
Chris did not like the idea this was the place Billy had been spending his abduction. He was not far up the hill when he heard noises of footsteps trudging through the undergrowth. Chris paused as he heard the sounds and immediately reached for his peacemaker. He could hear two distinct voices approaching him as he looked for a place to hide in the dark, unwilling to tip his hand until he knew whom these new arrivals were.

"I'm sick of this. He ain't gonna try for this place all by himself." One of them declared. "Not with the woman here."  
  
Chris froze, instinctively knowing they were talking about him. Woman? What woman? God, did they mean Mary?  
  
"The boss seems to think he will," the other one declared. "Man will do crazy things when it comes down to kin. It ain't just the woman, it's the boy too."  
  
Oh Jesus! They did have Mary! As his mind tried to wrap itself around the possibility of how Mary could be in the clutches of these men, Chris crushed the panic in his heart ruthlessly and told himself it did not matter. She and Billy were here which meant all bets were off. There was nothing to keep Ella from exacting her brutal revenge or whatever she called this murderous need to rid him of what she perceived to be her rivals.  
  
He had run out of time. Somehow, he had to move now before it was too late. Like he was too late for Sarah and Adam.

* * *

Mary was shown into the parlour of the strange house following her arrival in Willow End. She had no idea whether or not Chris was already in town but knew he could not be far away. They had ridden to Willow End at break neck speed. Actually, her kidnapper had ridden at that speed; Mary spent most of the journey slung over the back of his horse like some animal prepared for the slaughter. As they entered the perimeter of the large spread known as the Ranch, she could see well-armed men scattered across the area and realized they were more than ready for Chris's arrival. Her heart sank because he would be riding into an ambush with no knowledge that help would not be coming since she never had the chance to send her telegram to Four Corners.  
  
Inside the room, Ella Gaines sat behind her desk, obviously expecting her arrival while her kidnapper stood in the background, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings with an interest that almost bordered on curiosity. Ella stood up as Mary appeared before her. She was dressed in an evening dress and looked as if she was expecting company. It suddenly occurred to Mary that Ella was dressed in her fine yellow silks and hair piled on top of her head with honey coloured curls rolling onto her neck not for this audience but the one to be when Chris arrived.  
  
"He likes blue." Mary found herself saying as she felt a rush of anger at this and the twisted mentality leading them to this point.  
  
Ella's eyes narrowed.

"He'll learn to like yellow." She said with a smile as she approached Mary like a cat about to spring on a mouse. "I'm sorry I had to interrupt your wedding plans but I wasn't letting my Chris make another mistake."  
  
"You mean like the one he made with Sarah is that right?"   
  
"Damn right," Ella retorted. "He could have just slept with that simple hick but no, he had to marry her. He had to do the right thing by her when he knew that our love was forever and I wasn't going to let him go, not even if he married some other woman."  
  
The venom in her voice told Mary just how far over the edge Ella had gone. The insanity driving her to plague the men she loved had taken over all sense of reality. Mary doubted there was any way to reach her or help her see reason. This woman was beyond hope and if Mary wanted any chance of escape for her son and Chris, she had to think of something.  
  
"What was the child's crime in all this?" Mary demanded. "What did Adam do to deserve being incinerated alive in his own home?"  
  
"He was her son!" Ella snarled. "She used him to keep Chris in line, to bind my Chris to her! How dare she! She's doing it as you're doing it with that little brat upstairs in the attic!"  
  
Upstairs.  
  
Mary almost sighed with relief but hid how much the information was valued. At least Billy was alive and now Mary had some idea of where he was. Ella was too wrapped in her tirade to notice what she had let slip but the man behind her did not. He took note of Mary's interest, despite the widow's best efforts to hide the effect the knowledge had upon her. Mary was certain he was watching her with sharp scrutiny, expecting her to make some desperate move to save her son.  
  
"Ella, you have me." Mary said calmly, trying to keep her own fear subdued because in seeing Ella rave, she understood how close the woman was coming to giving the order to have them both killed. Somehow Mary had to stall for time until she decided how she was going to help Billy. "My son has done you no wrong. Let him go. Kill me if you wish but Billy's life won't make any difference to the plans you intend for Chris."  
  
Ella calmed down considerably at that offer and took a step closer to Mary as if trying to gauge the sincerity of her suggestion by the truth in her eyes.

"You would do that wouldn't you? You would let yourself be killed so that your son could be saved. You're not that much different from Sarah after all." Ella smiled. "Fowler told me Sarah begged too. She begged and pleaded until the smoke became so thick she couldn't talk from coughing so loudly. She kept begging for poor little Adam, even though the smoke had taken him first. Fowler told me she was pounding at the window, holding Adam in her arms as the house burned around her. She couldn't break it to get out because she knew the minute she did, Fowler would shoot them both. So, she stood there," Ella smiled even wider, the insanity in her eyes gleaming with each word she muttered. "Holding the little boy in her arms, even though it was plain to everyone that he was dead already. She didn't know, not even when she was begging Fowler, he was already dead."  
  
Thank God Chris was not here to hear this, Mary thought as she felt bile in her throat from the sheer disgust of Ella's relish in all this.   
  
"You're sick." Mary found herself muttering out loud, unable to keep that inside any longer. "You're not only sick, you're pathetic."  
  
"Really?" Ella looked at her with menace. "You're the one about to die."  
  
"I may die but when Chris mourns me it will be real. What is in his heart will be the truth not some twisted fantasy I've built in my mind. When he touches me, I know he wants me and only me. If by some miracle you do get him back when I'm gone, do you ever think he will make love to you without ever wanting it to be anyone but me? Face it Ella, if you kill me to get him, I'll be in your bedroom until the day you die. You'll spend the rest of your life playing substitute for me because that's the only way Chris is going to stand being with you!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Ella lashed, striking Mary on the jaw. Mary did not fall. She held her ground and looked back at Ella with an expression of total defiance.  
  
"He loves me!" Ella shouted. "He's always loved me! He was willing to kill for me!" She wailed, trying to convince Mary she was wrong. "I'll make you see how much he loves me when he finally comes! Then we'll see who is delusional!"  
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door that snapped Ella's attention away from Mary and her tirade respectively as both she and Jack turned their attention to it. "What is it?" Ella barked.  
  
The door swung open and to everyone's astonishment, Chris Larabee appeared to be standing at the doorway of the room. For a second no one spoke as the gunslinger was prodded inside the room by the hired guns Jack had acquired for this particular contract. Chris entered the room, his hands held behind his head as he stepped inside with his two captors keeping their gun's trained on him.  
  
Chris's gaze shifted to Mary just to ensure she was safe before it scanned the room to take stock of the situation unfolding before him.  
  
Without warning, Chris broke away from his captors and made his way directly towards Ella. The three men in the room raised their guns to fire but Ella quickly shouted at them to desist.

"Stop!" She cried out as Chris reached her and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.  
  
"Ella, thank God I found you!" He exclaimed and parted long enough to plant a long searching kiss against her lips.  
  
Mary stared at her fiancé and the deranged woman engaged in a passionate kiss, perfectly aware this was a ruse. Still, it did not make her feel any better watching Chris with another woman. Absurdly, she thought to herself this had better be the part of a plan to get them free or else he was in  _big_  trouble.  
  
"Ella, I've had time to think," Chris recited the carefully thought of speech he concocted when he made his desperate bid to stall for time as well as reaching Mary and Billy before Ella did anything he would regret bitterly. "I know I've been a fool but I love you. You know that better than I ever did. I made such a terrible mess of things running off with women who couldn't possibly mean half of what you do to me. I want to make it up to you. I'm never going to hurt you again."  
  
Ella stared at Chris with utter confusion in her eyes. The part of her that still retained most of her intelligence was dubious about this offer but the other part of her who believed without doubt or hesitation Chris Larabee was hers and had always been hers, was rejoicing at his declaration. She stared into his eyes and saw his sincerity and the burning passion for her she always believed was meant for her and no other.

"Chris," she hugged him back, giving Mary Travis a look that was full of gloating triumph as she held him in her arms. "I always knew you would come back to me. It was just a matter of time."  
  
Jack knew exactly what was going on even if Ella was too enraptured by Chris's words to see the truth. "Miss Gaines, you cannot possibly believe this display is genuine."  
  
She threw him a venomous look as she broke away from Chris.

"Chris wouldn't lie to me." She threw Chris a smile, which he returned before offering another to Jack, which only convinced the assassin this was a ruse. "He has never lied to me." She turned to the two men in the room with her. "You may go." She gestured them to leave. "Although there is no reason to assume his friends will find us, it’s best to be safe than sorry."  
  
Jack could not believe this was happening. Could she be so insane she did not know she was being tricked. Chris Larabee was playing this charade for one reason and one reason only, to free his lady friend and the child upstairs.

"Miss Gaines, I beg you to reconsider your actions. Mr Larabee is plainly trying to stall for time."  
  
"Ella," Chris quickly spoke up before any of the assassin's words could penetrate her mind. "Let's get out of here. We can ride out now and never have to look behind us again. What do you say?"  
  
Ella let out a breathless sigh as if he had touched her in just the right way. "Oh Chris, it’s what I always wanted to hear. I've waited so long for this." She embraced him again, letting her mouth meet his in a lingering kiss.  
  
Mary swallowed, hoping to God Chris knew what kind of game he was playing because if Ella for one moment thought he was lying, Mary had no doubt in her mind that Ella would kill all of them. Mary was of the firm belief if Ella could not have Chris, she would be spiteful enough to see no one else had him either. Mary turned away from the kissing couple, unable to stand seeing Chris kiss someone else. Instead, she cast her eyes outside and saw something moving in the darkness outside.  Two shapes were creeping stealthily through the night, keeping their presence secret from the hired guns patrolling the grounds.  
  
At first, she did not know what she was seeing until Buck emerge out of nowhere and slip an arm around one of the men's neck and drag him back into his hiding place. Her heart pounded with hope as Mary realized Buck was probably not alone and neither were she and Chris. Had he known this when he walked in here, the rest of the seven were not far behind? Was this his plan to find her while at the same time stalling Ella as the others got into position? Mary kept watching with a held breath, almost oblivious to what was happening inside the room as Buck emerged from the shadows again and continued his advance to the house.  
  
"You see," Ella said proudly, tearing Mary's concentration from what was transpiring outside back to her again. "I told you he loved me." She gloated, her arms still around Chris. "Chris," she looked up at him. "We can go away and I saved the boy for you. You can always have the son you wanted, we will be a family. Jack," she turned to the assassin who was believing none of this but was powerless to do anything for the moment. "I think you can eliminate Mrs Travis now. We have no need of her."  
  
Chris's eyes met Mary's instantly and knew this was the time to act.  
  
Without missing a beat, the gunslinger pulled Ella back to him while at the same time retrieving a knife secreted in his boot. Ella let out a small scream as Chris yanked her backwards hard, his arm locking around her throat while his other hand held the blade close to her neck, poise to cut at the slightest incentive. Mary wasted no time and quickly ran to his side, placing herself between Ella and the assassin's gunfire.  
  
"Don't move!" Chris ordered. "I don't know how fast you are mister but you ain't fast enough to keep me from slicing her throat open!"  
  
"Chris!" Ella wailed in outrage, unable to believe she was deceived. "You lying bastard!" She screeched like a harpy and then shouted at Jack. "Shoot them both!" She yelled. "He won't hurt me. He ain't got the guts for it! Kill the bitch first!" She writhed and squirmed in Chris's grip like a hellion until it was impossible for Chris to maintain his grip on her. Mary could see this was coming to a head very fast and whatever advantage Chris would have would soon be gone. Driven by panic, she grabbed a heavy paperweight on the desk and smashed it through the window.  
  
"BUCK! We're in here!"  
  
No sooner than she had uttered that cry, gunfire broke out from outside. Chris shoved Ella forward roughly and she fell into the arms of her hired killer before they both tumbled to the floor in a clumsy heap. Chris saw the man lose his grip on the gun in his hands and watched the weapon slide across the smooth floor.  
  
"Mary! Get out of here!" Chris shouted as he dove for the weapon. The air became chaotic with the sound of guns blazing outside. Angry voices were shouting back and forth as shots were being exchanged. Mary did not need to be told twice as she ran out of the room because she knew exactly where she was going.  
  
She was going to get her son.  
  
Mary raced up the stairs as women started emerging from the rooms above the main floor. They were so panicked they hardly paid attention to Mary as she fought her way through the bodies determined to escape the building around, terrified by the violence outside. Mary saw no customers and decided Ella must have suspended trading on this particular day to receive her. The girls ranged in ages from teenagers to adult, while others were partially clad as they thundered down the stairs, adding more chaos to a situation already spiralling out of control.  
  
"Billy!" Mary cried out as she ran up the hallway and turned up another staircase. She remembered what Ella said about locking her son in an attic and felt fury because she knew how afraid he was of such darkness. She wondered what nightmares he must have endured, alone and trapped like an animal. She wanted to rip out Ella's heart for this slight but chose to concentrate on finding her son first.  
  
"Ma!" She heard his voice scream in answer as she reached the top of the stairs. Outside, the shooting had not stopped and Mary paused long enough to pray Chris was all right as he dealt with both Ella and the assassin called Jack. She brushed such thoughts aside because there was no time to waste.   
  
"Billy, I'm coming!" She repeated herself, offering him comfort in the sound of her voice. She reached the last floor of the house and let her eyes search for the door leading to the attic.  
  
"Ma! I'm here!" She heard Billy respond by pounding on a door at the far end of the corridor. Letting out a sigh of relief, she ran towards it, able to hear his small fists banging hard against the wood as she approached. He was alive! Mary almost wept in gratitude at the knowledge of it.   
  
"Billy," she responded as she reached the door. Upon hearing his mother's footsteps, Billy stopped his pounding. There was no lock on the door but there were several nasty bolts locks in place, all strong enough to keep a full-grown man from kicking down the door if he should he become trapped within it. She pulled the bolt back on the first lock when suddenly, she heard a sound behind her. Mary turned her head sharply to see Ella coming at her.  
  
Both women slammed against the wood. Mary felt her head slap against the door and saw stars as Ella came out swinging her arms, almost frenzied in her rage. For a few seconds, the ferocity of her attack left Mary unable to fend off the blows that came at her in a flurry of movement. She felt nails and fists striking her body as Ella screamed in guttural rage as she vented her fury against Mary's weak attempts to defend herself.  
  
"He's mine, you hear! Mine. Chris is mine and that child is mine!" Ella howled, sounding almost animalistic in her tirade.  
  
"MA!" Billy screamed behind the door and it was all the incentive Mary needed to react.  
  
Kicking her foot out, she landed her boot into the side of Ella's ankle, sweeping her feet from under her as the woman fell down hard on the floor. Mary wiped a trace of blood running down her nose as she moved out of Ella's way and tore a picture frame from the wall. As Ella stood up to renew her attack, Mary smashed the small frame of glass and wood into the side of the woman's head, shattering it completely with the force of the blow. Ella tumbled into the wall, crying out in pain as she clutched her bleeding face. Mary decided then and there, she was not going to hold back. Suddenly, Mary was not just thinking about Billy who was locked behind that door. She thought about Sarah who begged and pleaded for her son's life while Ella watched them burn. She thought about the agony Sarah must have felt when she realized the child in her arms was gone and never really had a chance.  
  
"You will never get your hands on my son! You murdering, psychotic BITCH!" Mary roared and threw a punch into Ella's face while the woman was still reeling from her injuries. Ella hit the wall again, leaving blood stains on the blue paint as Mary let loose the full vent of her outrage. Ella was reeling in pain but Mary was far beyond mercy. She dragged Ella to her feet as the woman stared at her dazed and threw another fist into her face, sending her sprawling. Ella collapsed hard on the floor, her head making an audible whack on the hard surface as she landed.  
  
Mary watched for a few seconds and made sure she did not move before turning to the door again.  
  
"Billy, I'm coming." Mary called out again, letting him know she was alright as she started undoing all the bolts keeping the door sealed. She looked over her shoulder just to make sure that Ella was where Mary had left her before she pulled the door open. 

Billy Travis tumbled out of the room and ran straight into his mother's arms.  
  
"Ma!" He started crying as she wrapped her arms around him and started showering kisses on his small face.  
  
"God Billy," Mary tried not to cry herself. "I was so worried." She replied pulling apart from him long enough to examine him for herself to see if Ella had hurt him. However, Billy seemed to be unhurt, just very afraid. Considering there was gunfire outside and fighting taking place within the room, it was no wonder Billy seemed pale with worry. Mary hugged him again, not caring the danger was far from over because she was so terribly glad to have her son back.  
  
Mary rose to her feet after a moment, trying to decide the best course of action when suddenly she noticed Ella was gone. No sooner than the thought registered in her mind, Ella stepped out from the corner of the hallway and swung what appeared to be a fireplace poker. Mary felt it strike her across the chest, the pain forcing all air from her lungs as the widow fell back. Ella loomed over her, raising the poker once more as Mary slumped against the wall from the impact, ready to bring it down on her once again.

* * *

  
Chris saw Ella run after Mary and knew he had to stop her. After Sarah and Adam, Chris did not underestimate what Ella was capable of doing to Mary in order to get her own way. Unfortunately, he was in no position to intercede since at the moment, he and Ella's hired gun were lunging for the same weapon. Chris was just a few paces in front of him, scrambling forward on his knees towards the nickel plated gun beyond reach beneath a chair. The gunslinger was almost to it when he felt fingers enclosing around his ankle and yanking him backwards.  
  
His chin hit the floor hard as Chris went down, tasting blood when he bit his lip in the fall. He was a little dazed when he saw the shape trying to get past him and lashed out, grabbing Jack's leg hard and twisting the limb so viciously, the man had little recourse but to yield to the fierce tug or suffer serious injury. As he forced Jack away from the weapon and sent the man tumbling to the floor once again, Chris rolled onto his haunches and threw a powerful sidekick to the assassin's face before he could get up. Jack fell backwards from the blow, obviously not fully recovered from his earlier fall to retaliate with any effectiveness. Not allowing him any time to recover because Chris need to put him down fast, he threw another kick into the man's side, flipping him on his back from the force of the blow.  
  
As Chris jumped to his feet, somehow Jack managed to do so as well but he was still rather disorientated. Chris did not doubt his opponent would quickly recover to give the gunslinger more grief if Chris did not do something fast. He needed to put this hired thug down while there was still a chance to save Mary from Ella's deranged thirst for blood. He rammed his fist into the side of the man's head, taking advantage of his disorientation and pummelling him repeatedly so the assassin could not recover, Chris ignored the rising pain in his limbs as he struck blow after blow. He felt his knuckles connect but the point soon arrived when the pain faded away. It disappeared to a distant place in his mind, just as forgotten as the desire to end this quickly.  
  
This bastard had intended to kill Mary and Billy just as Fowler had taken his wife and son away. Like Fowler, he had to pay.  
  
Chris felt a rush of adrenaline surging through his veins as he threw a rapid succession of punches. He felt the blood rushing to his head as blow after blow was delivered. He could feel nothing except the urgent need to stop this man so he could deal with Ella once and for all and never have to worry about Mary and Billy's safety again. His hands ached but Chris no longer cared. The demons normally trapped within the dark place inside himself, ttempered by the things Ella had sought to take away from him, was unleashed. 

With a start, Chris realized his opponent was no longer fighting. He blinked as the red veil over his eyes disappeared into the clarity that came with realising it was not Fowler in front of him or even Ella.  When Jack finally went down, Chris knew he was done. The man was on his knees and no longer capable of countering his blows. Blood was running down his head in thick rivulets, from broken skin and split bruises. His dark eyes met Chris's in a gesture of defeat before he collapsed on the polished floor.  
  
Chris was breathing hard, feeling his lungs hungry for air as his heart pounded in his chest. Refusing to give the man any further thought, Chris left him where he was, confident that Ella's hired gun would be going nowhere for a while.  
  
Outside, Chris could still hear firing and he wondered momentarily how his friends were fending against Ella's hired hands. He hoped no one was hurt and wished he could be of some aid to them but right now, he had a more pressing matter to deal with. Retrieving the gun that had been the cause of his fierce struggle with the barely conscious man on the floor, Chris tucked it into his belt before running out of the room to find Mary and Ella before it was too late.

* * *

  
Mary ducked just as the poker dug into the wall with a loud crash. The sharp edge splintered wood and crumbled plaster as it impacted. It missed her by less than a fraction of a second. She had never believed she could move so fast when she dropped to her knees and rolled across the floor as Ella struggled to free the poker from the mortar where it was imbedded.  
  
"Run Billy!" Mary shouted frantically and saw her son disappear into the attic once again. There was nowhere else he could go really since Ella was blocking the hallway.  
  
"Come back here!" Ella shouted at him and froze the little boy in his tracks from the sheer rage in her voice. "You're mine! Do you understand me? Mine! You do as I say!"   
  
"Billy Travis you get going NOW!" Mary ordered in a voice she used on her son when he knew he was in deep trouble. Conditioning jarred the fear out of him and he started running once again, his obedience to her absolute.  
  
"He is my son!" Mary snarled furiously as she ran towards Ella as the woman raised her hand to strike once more. She downed Ella in a full body tackle, landing on top of the woman as both her hands grabbed the wrist clutching the poker. Ella's grip on it was strong and as Mary tried to wrestle it from her, Ella's other hand sank nails into Mary's skin of her cheek and pulled back. Mary uttered as soft cry of pain as she felt the warmth of blood oozing down her face. In retaliation, Mary twisted her head slightly and returned the favour by biting down hard on the soft flesh of the offending hand. She bit down so hard she tasted blood and Ella's scream cut through the air like the wail of a dying animal.  
  
Ella released the poker and Mary flung it over the wooden rail. She did not see where it landed but the sound of steel clattering against the wooden floor indicated it had made it all the way down the stairs.

"I'll leave you alone but I'll hunt your little boy until the day he dies. The last thing you know before you go to your grave is that I'm going to gut him clean before you are cold in the ground!" Ella screeched as she started pulling at Mary's hair. She managed to roll on top of Mary as they struggled across the floor, yanking lengthy strands of blond hair in full clumps.  
  
Mary cried out in pain but was not about to let it keep her form protecting her son. Ignoring the fierce pull at her hair, Mary threw another fist into the woman's face and forced Ella off her body. Wasting no time, the widow was on her feet again, breathing hard as she searched for Ella and saw the woman was coming at her again. As Ella ran forward, eyes blazing with maniacal fervour showing just how insane she was. Realising every venomous threat Ella just made ought to be taken as gospel, Mary came to a decision. When a dog was rabid, the merciful thing to do was to put it down.

Ella was a rabid dog and it was time, well past it in fact, she was put down for good.  
  
Positioning herself at just the right place, she held firm as Ella ran towards her, screaming like a harpy about to launch its final assault. With blood running down the sides of her face in crimson rivulets, her teeth bared and her eyes appearing almost yellow with malevolence, Ella looked every bit the deranged psychotic and it was hard not to feel some fear as Mary saw her approaching fast. At the last moment before contact was made, Mary dropped to her knees. Ella tumbled over Mary, allowing the widow to retaliate swiftly by flipping Ella over her shoulder and over the side of the wooden bannister. Ella's scream of rage became one of terror as she was thrown over the rail and plunged downwards. Mary did not need to look as she heard that scream end abruptly with a loud squelching sound that almost made Mary gag.  
  
For a few seconds, Mary did not move, still stunned by what she was driven to do.  She remained where she was oblivious to everything as the knowledge of what she had done caught up with her. Mary only reacted when she heard Chris's footsteps coming up the staircase. Blinking, she saw Chris's expression of relief when he realized she was all right and that final scream had not come from her.  
  
Still there was enough blood running down her nose and her cheeks to give him concern as he approached her.  
  
"Mary...”  
  
She jumped to her feet and into his arms, holding him tight, caring about nothing except the safety of his arms. She still did not look over the side of the railing because she could not bear to see what she had done even though it was unavoidable. Ella would have hunted them forever and the threat she made to Billy was no idle one. She would hurt Billy out of spite if she could.   
  
"Is she dead?" Mary asked still shaking, knowing it was a stupid question.  
  
Chris looked over the side of the bannister, while still holding Mary in his arms as he saw the expanding pool of blood underneath Ella Gaines's body. Ella remained in the centre of that crimson pond completely still. Everything that she was lay splattered on the hard surface of the floor beneath her body. Mary had accomplished what he should have done months ago and yet he felt guilty for not sparing her the task. He looked at Ella, her ruined body and face soaking in blood and felt some measure of remorse as he mourned the woman he loved in his youth, who died long before this creature had tumbled to her death.  
  
"Yeah," he said sadly. "She's dead."  
  
"Ma!" Billy emerged from his hiding place, now the danger was over. Even the gunfire outside had ceased and Chris assumed Buck and the others must have taken care of Ella's hired thugs.  
  
"Billy!" Mary embraced her son joyously for the second time. "Are you okay baby?"  
  
Billy nodded and looked up at Chris. "Did you see how ma fought that bad woman?"  
  
"I sure did," Chris said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair which was all the indication he was going to show at how pleased he was to see Billy. "Are you okay partner?" Chris asked.  
  
"I'm okay." Billy answered with a smile. "I knew you and ma would come for me." The child said moving to hug Chris as well.  
  
"CHRIS!" The tender moment was broken by the booming sound of Buck Wilmington as the tall man broke through the front door with J.D. following close behind. Buck paused at the sight of Ella's body in the hall and looked up since it was obvious what had caused her death.  
  
"We're up here Buck!" Chris leaned over the side of the railing to indicate to his friends that all was well.  
  
Buck and J.D. scaled the stairs in a matter of seconds to join them at the top floor of the building. Mary and Billy were still holding each other, their ordeal still catching up with them as Chris went to meet his friends.  
  
"Is everyone alright?" Buck asked as he saw Mary bleeding over Chris's shoulder.  
  
Chris let out a deep breath, casting a glance at Mary and Billy before turning back to Buck once again and responding with a genuine smile. "Everything is just fine."

 


	10. Beginnings and Endings

"You ready for this?" Buck asked as Chris stood at the head of the aisle, wishing he were anywhere else but here at this moment. It was not that he minded getting married, he just never anticipated having such a large audience while he was doing it. Once again, Chris cursed the day Mary asked Inez to plan this wedding because it felt as if half the town was crammed into the manicured garden of Julia Pemberton's home. Still, he had to admit the lady bartender had done a spectacular job of the preparations because she turned what was a conservative lawn into a canvas of colour splashed with the scent of wildflowers.  
  
"No." Chris grumbled. "But let's do it anyway."  
  
Buck grinned, looking almost as happy as Chris would have, if not for all the fanfare of the ceremony.

"Okay," the big man looked behind him. "Where's the best man?" 

Surprisingly enough, Chris  discovered the wedding was not the three ringed circus as he feared, despite the number of guests in attendance.  
  
Instead of forcing people into orderly rows, chairs were provided for those guests who could not remain on their feet for too long. Most notably Vin, who had been allowed out of bed long enough to attend the wedding before he would be whisked back to his convalescence by both Nathan and Alex who were determined he take every precaution in light of his injuries. The majority of guests were free to stand where they wished or even watch the proceedings while seated under the shade of the trees scattered throughout Julia's garden. The atmosphere was extremely casual despite all the preparation that went into making this day happen. The garden wedding Inez had chosen was well favoured by the sun shining brightly over the horizon. Although the winter's approach could be felt by the coolness of the occasional breeze, for most part the weather remained glorious with not acloud in the sky and the coloured sky providing a brilliant canvas overhead. Chris looked up and squinted as he enjoyed the heat on his face, taking a breath of the flowers Inez had used to create an aisle for which Mary could walk down as well as a floral arch at the head of it.  
  
"He's over there," Chris remarked. "Muscling in on Ezra."  
  
Buck started to laugh as they both spied Billy Travis squeezing in between Ezra and Julia who were with the members of the seven not playing some official part of the ceremony. Ezra was frowning at the boy who was obviously seeing the older man as his rival for Julia's affections, while the lady herself was greatly amused by the drawn battle lines between the two. "I better go get him." Buck chuckled. "Before it gets ugly."  
  
"My money's on the kid." Chris replied as Buck left him at the altar while he went to retrieve the best man.  
  
Chris turned his attention to the altar where Josiah was adjusting his collar looking almost as an uncomfortable as Chris himself. The former preacher however, was preoccupied with his fears of having to face such a large audience while trying to ignore he was the centrepiece of this affair until the vows were exchanged. Chris stifled as smile as he saw Josiah sneak a quick swig from a steel flask discreetly hidden inside the folds of his jacket. The gunslinger has never seen the man so nervous and Chris felt some measure of satisfaction knowing he was not the only one who was had thoughts of high tailing it out of here.  
  
"How are you doing, Josiah?" Chris asked quietly, beyond the notice of guests who had yet to notice the anxiety of the man  conducting the ceremony.  
  
"Maybe we can find someone else." Josiah replied. "I've never been very good at public speaking."  
  
"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that preacher," Chris tried not to chuckle especially when he knew Josiah was as nervous as he looked. "Just have another swig of the whiskey."  
  
Josiah cast a worried look at the audience gathered before him and nodded in agreement. "You're right." He replied and disappeared behind the trellis to do just that. Chris shook his head in bemusement as Josiah departed, hoping when the time came, the preacher was going to be sober enough to stand. Chris looked over his shoulder to see Buck drawing Billy away from Julia, exchanging a smirk with Ezra who was gloating as he slid next to Julia once again, now that Billy was called away.   
  
Billy seemed no worse for his ordeal although he spent his first two nights at home sleeping in Mary's bed because it was the only way he could sleep after enduring three nights in virtual darkness in Ella's attic. The law in Willow End were reluctant to rock their community with the news a deranged murderer had walked among their midst for so long with little or no questions were asked of Mary following Ella's death. The man whom Chris had almost beaten to death had disappeared in the chaos that followed Ella's grisly end. Although they had no idea who he was, Ezra mentioned hearing about an assassin who went by the name of the Jack of Spades. With little more than a description, the chances of finding him were remote and Chris did not believe he would be back. In any case, there was little to be done until Jack was ready to make his move and the injuries Chris inflicted upon him would ensure that would not be for some time yet.  
  
Lester Croft, who provided Buck with Ella's location had been paid by Jack to keep an eye on  Mary Travis ever since Billy was taken. With the aid of Ezra and Josiah, Buck made Lester painfully aware of how many bones he would have broken if he did not reveal to whom he was passing the information. Eventually, Lester who was as accomplished a coward as he was an informant, had little choice but to reveal he had reported Mary's movements via telegram to a place called the Ranch at Willow End. Chris hated to think what would have happened if Buck had not stumbled upon Lester. At the very least, Mary would be dead.  
  
"Okay, pardner." Buck announced his return by dropping to his knees before Billy. "You know what you gotta do?" Buck placed the gold band into the palm of Billy's open hand.  
  
"Yep." Billy nodded. "Inez told me already." The boy frowned having been giving these instructions endlessly first by Inez and now by Buck. "Although she was nicer cause she gave me candy when she told me."  
  
"Well," Chris could not resist adding with a perfectly evil grin. "Buck can be very _nice_ too."  
  
Buck stood straight up and sent Chris a scathing glare. "Very funny."

Buck fumed for a moment, finding not one iota of amusement at that remark even though Chris was trying his level best to restrain the snigger threatening to escape him. Like the rest of the seven, Chris learned about Buck's encounter with Inez and the description she had made regarding that one time liaison. Chris knew Buck well enough to know 'nice' was not a description the big man was going to appreciate since Buck considered himself quite the lover.  
  
"How you doing pard?" Chris looked at Billy.  
  
Seeing all those people before him and suddenly realizing how important an occasion this was, Billy was reciting silently all those instructions Inez gave him earlier including the ones given to him by Buck. He looked up at Chris with a serious expression on his face and decided he was not going to make a mistake because this was an important day for his ma as well as Chris.  
  
"I'm okay." He said unable to keep the slight quiver from his voice.  
  
"Good," Chris smiled, pleased by his inspired choice of making Billy his best man. Both Buck and Vin seemed to be satisfied with his choice as well and the action had gone a long way to allaying Billy's fears their relationship would not change once Chris and Mary were finally married. The ordeal with Ella Gaines had gone a long way to helping Chris mend a number of broken fences, not just with Mary but with Billy as well. In making Billy his best man, Chris proved to the child they would still share the time they did together and no wedding could ever change that.  
  
Billy had always been more than just Mary's son to Chris, he was a second chance.  
  
"Mary's here." Buck informed dutifully, following the hush of sound that rippled over the gathering at the arrival of the bride. "Okay pards," the big man said as he withdrew. "Shows all yours."

* * *

  
Vin and Alex watched the commencement of ceremonies from under the shade of a nearby tree, where Vin was provided a chair so that he could remain off his feet. Even though the tracker was ecstatic to get out of the infirmary for the day, Alex was still concerned the strain would be too much for him. Still, Alex knew Vin well enough to know even if he was in his deathbed, he would have insisted on attending, even if it meant crawling to get here.  
  
"So when can I expect to be standing at your wedding?" Nettie Wells asked as she stood next to Alex with Casey and J.D. close by.  
  
"Easy there ma'am," Vin quickly responded. "Ain't I been hurt enough?" He teased Alex with a look of mischief, winking at her when she turned to him.   
  
"Not quite enough," Alex remarked, giving him a look of mock annoyance.  "You can do with a little more pain if you keep that up."  
  
"It's a lovely ring," Nettie commended as she examined the bauble on Alex's finger. "I never figured you for having such good taste Vin."  
  
"I get it right once in awhile," he let his gaze meet Alex's affectionately. "Besides, I had to give her a ring or else she'll up and run off on me."   
  
"I've got my wedding all planned out," Casey announced to all and immediately J.D.'s eyes widened with what the others could only describe as panic.   
  
"Wedding?" J.D. swallowed visibly. "Why, ain't no one asked you yet."  
  
Casey threw him a black look and Vin winced, feeling a pang of sympathy for his comrade, wondering if J.D. had any idea what he had just stepped into so blindly.

"Don't you want to marry me J.D.?" Casey demanded, her hands on her hips, the universal gesture for a female about to get very upset.  
  
"Well...I don't know...I mean we're too young to get married...and I ain't never thought about..." J.D. started to stammer, having realized now what that pained expression on Vin's face aimed at his direction was all about.  
  
"We'll discuss this later," Nettie stepped in before blood was drawn although judging by the daggers her niece was pointing in J.D.'s direction, the old woman was of the firm belief she had merely staved off the inevitable until _after_ the wedding. For J.D.'s sake, Nettie hoped he had some errand to run that would take him out of town for a few days at least.  
  
J.D. looked at Vin helplessly, seeking help but the tracker could do nothing but shrug his shoulders in futility at the predicament his young friend had found himself. Unfortunately, his experience with the fairer sex was too limited for him to be of any help anyway. In either case, the dilemma gave way for the moment as the ceremony began. 

As Maid of Honour, Inez made her appearance before Mary and the lady bartender looked positively radiant as she proceeded down the aisle, her brown eyes surveying the scene to ensure all her hard work had finally come to fruition with flawless execution. As always, Inez's ability to capture all with her sultry good looks was unmistakable as she smiled at those she passed, giving Alex a wink of confidence at how the preparations had turned out. She wore her traditional Mexican styled clothes with shoulders bare and flowing cotton that made her look every bit the Latin beauty she was. With a note of bemusement, Alex noticed that Inez was doing her level best not to make eye contact with Buck.  
  
Attention from Inez quickly shifted once Mary Travis started down the narrow walkway, lined with flowers all the way to the makeshift altar. Mary had opted to wear cream as opposed to white. Her dress was tasteful picture of embroidered lace and a high neck line that made her look very demure. Instead of wearing it loose, as she had become accustomed to of late, Mary wore her flaxen coloured hair up, with soft ringlets that hung over her neck and brushed the skin every so lightly. With small buds of white flowers in those locks of white gold, she looked utterly breathtaking as she strolled down the aisle at the arm of Judge Orin Travis who was giving her away.  
  
Vin glanced in Chris's direction and saw one of the rare genuine smiles he seldom displayed, steal across his best friend's face. As he watched Mary gliding past, Vin felt the occasion sneak up on him with unexpected emotion and he was glad that Ella Gaines's insanity had not stopped this day from happening. Vin knew just how much Chris loved Mary, how they had always loved each other in fact. It had been a hard long road for both of them to reach this point. Despite the pleasure he felt at seeing two of the dearest people in his life coming together, he could not help feeling a little melancholic about the events he endured himself during the last few days. He realized he was feeling like this because of Charlotte.

  
Although he did not voice it to Alex, Vin found himself thinking about what Charlotte was doing at this moment as she made her long journey home, accompanying her husband's body with the intention of burying him on his land. They had not spoken since the day of the shooting and would have maintained that silence if Charlotte had not appeared at the infirmary on the day she left. Vin was not proud he had been forced to kill Richmond even though the action was one of self defense. It seemed like such a pointless reason to die especially when nothing Richmond suspected was true.  
  
Fortunately, Charlotte had made her visit when it was time for Nathan's watch and Alex was helping with the pre-nuptial arrangements. Vin remembered meeting her eyes and feeling that same affection bubble inside him, despite everything she had done to bring calamity to his and Alex's. He knew that like Ella Gaines, Charlotte had done what she had out of love however like Ella, Charlotte had to learn he was no longer hers. 

* * *

  
"Charlotte." He said quiet, not knowing what else to say.  
  
They looked at each others like strangers who wanted to be more to each other. A line had been crossed between them and they both knew it. What she meant to him once was like mist fading in dawn's light and though he still cared for her, he knew that he would never love her the way she wanted him too.  
  
"I'm leaving today." She swallowed, trying not to weep as she saw her hope die in his indifferent eyes.  
  
"Where will you go?" He could not help asking.  
  
Charlotte tried to maintain a brave face because she needed to be strong in the days to come and this was as good as any time to start. "I'm going to take Will home. I want to bury him on our land. Its what he would have wanted."

Her eyes could no longer meet his because Charlotte could not bear to see his eyes devoid of affection for her. Perhaps it had been gone for even longer but she seemed to notice it more this time.  
  
"What will you do then?" Vin was struggling to make conversation because he did not really want to speak to her. He was still angry he killed Will Richmond because of her, not to mention what she almost made him do to his relationship with Alex. Charlotte had almost cost him Alex after everything he had gone through to win the doctor's hand, it was a sin he could not forgive.  
  
"I'll stay on." Charlotte answered, feeling just as uncomfortable as him. "See if I can try and do things for myself for once in my life. I've spent most of my years, thinking I needed a man to look after me. I like to try and see if I can do for myself for once."  
  
"I think you'd do alright." Vin said with genuine belief she could take care of herself. Charlotte was stronger than she knew and he hoped she would learn to use that hidden reservoir of strength inside her and find her own happiness the way he had done.  
  
"Vin," Charlotte opened her mouth to speak as she searched the words to say what she needed to before she walked out of his life forever and lost the chance for good. "I'm sorry."  
  
His eyes met hers, almost in surprise. He had not expected an apology, an impassioned plea perhaps that things could be worked out, but not a gesture of regret.  
  
"I'm sorry for what I did." She repeated herself. "I never meant to hurt you Vin. I just love you so much, I wasn't thinking straight. I did what I did to get you back and it never occurred to me you might be happier with her than you would with me. I did wrong by you Vin," she swallowed, wondering if he had any idea how terrible this ache was in her heart as she uttered these words. "I just want you to know I am sorry and  I was wrong. She loves you more than anything in the world and all those things I said to you about her were just not true."  
  
Vin took a deep breath and answered after a moment. "I should have known that myself Charlotte so I'm as much to blame for what happened between Alex and me as you are. I'm sorry it ain't the way you wanted," his eyes softened to show he understood her on some level, even if his anger had not quite abated. "But things change and people move on. That's what I did Charlotte, I moved on. Now you gotta do the same."  
  
She merely nodded before leaning over him to plant a kiss of farewell on his cheek. When she parted, she offered him another saddened look and swept out of his life and this time Vin knew it was going to be forever.

* * *

  
"You okay?" Alex whispered when she saw Vin's gaze shift from the bride to stare off into space in silent contemplation.  
  
"Just thinking," Vin said with a faint smile as he threaded his fingers through hers.  
  
The ring he had bought her sparkled in the sunlight as Vin gently caressed her knuckle in affection. Seeing it there gave him a sense of such accomplishment Vin could not help but pull her hand to his lips and kiss it gently.  
  
"Easy there cowboy," she teased as her gaze shifted between Mary's progress up the aisle and Vin's cobalt coloured eyes. "You're in no shape for anything more than that for at least awhile."  
  
Vin merely reacted with a wolfish grin before adding, "Well there's a reason to get better."

* * *

  
"I knew that dress would look perfect." Julia said with approval as Mary finally made her way to the top of the aisle with Chris and Billy waiting for her arrival. Mary had purchased the dress from her Emporium and Julia had been more than happy to assist the bride make the choice. It was with great pleasure Julia had come to call Mary Travis a friend even though her early relationship with the newspaper editor had been less than cordial. Still, Mary was one of those women whose compassion was a river running endlessly even if she did hide steel beneath its waters. Julia respected Mary for the formidable woman she was and now felt privileged to know Mary considered her a friend.  
  
"Your taste is impeccable." Ezra commented as he watched Mary reach the head of the altar. "Even if your judgement is not." He could not resist adding in light of her conversation with Mary earlier today to which Ezra was privy. The gambler still could not believe Julia had agreed to such a thing even though he had been unconcerned with the situation until the wedding.  
  
Julia looked at him and frowned. "Are you still unhappy I agreed to take Billy for a few days?" She asked keeping her voice down over the sound of the music being played by Gloria Potter at the small piano brought into the garden for the occasion. "Mary and Chris deserve a honeymoon."  
  
"I do not disagree," Ezra retorted, unable to keep the disapproval out of his voice. "However, did you have to be so magnanimous? I am certain young Master Travis could have spent time with the Judge. I never recalled you being so charitable."  
  
"He just got back from Eagle Bend Ezra," Julia said impatiently. "Not to mention spending three nights in virtual captivity by that mad creature. Mary and I both agreed, he should remain in Four Corners close to his friends.  Besides I like the child."  
  
"I noticed." Ezra grumbled, not relishing how difficult it was going to be snaring any time with Julia over the next few days with Billy present in her house.  
  
"Mr Standish?" Julia gave him a conspiratorially look. "Are you attempting to tell me that you are threatened by an eight year old boy?" She folded her arms and stared at him with a look that spoke nothing but accusation and amusement.  
  
"I shall not even bother to dignify that remark with an answer." Ezra retorted turning away even though she had struck a nerve. He was not jealous of Billy Travis, although the child did seem to delight in depriving him of as much private time with Julia as possible. Ezra was not blind to the fact that young Master Travis had developed a crush on the object of his affections but behind his youthful and seemingly innocent visage, Ezra was certain Billy was concocting ways to rid Julia of him.  
  
"Because you do not have to be jealous of him, you know." Julia responded, glancing slyly at him and enjoying his discomfort. Her arm was linked through his and she squeezed his hand tighter in response. "Just because he is younger, good looking, utterly devoted gaining my attention..."  
  
"...and _eight_ years old." Ezra reminded.  
  
"I'm young enough to wait ten years," Julia teased by letting out a breathless sigh, as she pretended to picture what an eighteen year old Billy Travis was going to look like. "Besides, he'll be just adorable when he's eighteen years old and I'll be the seasoned older woman." She grinned wickedly and saw Ezra stiffen in annoyance at the thought of having to deal with Billy's crush on Julia for the next decade.  
  
"You have no shame," the gambler retorted with a tone in his voice indicating he was going to sulk when the ceremony was over.

Julia was not blind to Billy's attempts to usurp Ezra's place next to her earlier on and had to admit to enjoying seeing Ezra entering some juvenile attempt to win her favour in his rivalry with Billy.  
  
Completely unrepentant, Julia enjoyed the smouldering fire in Ezra's eyes and decided she was not going to let him off the hook so easily, particularly when she was having such an amusing time baiting him.  
  
"Who needs shame, when I have two men fighting over me?"  
  
"Will you two be quiet?" Nathan hissed as he stood next to Rain who had come to Four Corners just for the wedding. "You can settle this later." The healer said reproachfully, privy to their argument from his place behind them.  
  
"Sorry Nathan," Julia smiled.  
  
"And Ezra?" Nathan said as he retreated back to his original position.  
  
"Yes Mr Jackson?" Ezra asked.  
  
"You should be afraid of the competition." The healer chuckled. "Very afraid."

* * *

  
Mary Travis looked at Chris Larabee and they both shared the same thought as they stood before each other on the day of their wedding. He looked in the depths of her blue-grey eyes and saw it filled with the same blinding intensity he had spied the first time he looked at her. Chris knew for all his reservations and reluctance at the fanfare of the day, he was just as happy as she was to be here. Still, the anxiety he saw in her face was not for the important step they were taking today but for a more immediate problem.  
  
They should have eloped.  
  
"I have a horse waiting." He said quietly. "If we run now, we can make it to Mexico."  
  
"Not a chance," Mary whispered sharing the joke as Josiah cleared his throat for the third time and tried to prepare himself for task he was required to perform. "They'd cut us down before we even made it off the lawn."  
  
"Damn." Chris chuckled and then took note of Josiah standing before them looking more than just a little pale.  
  
"Josiah are you alright?" Mary asked, her eyes wide as she saw beads of sweat running down the preacher's forehead. The man looked positively terrified.  
  
"I'm fine." He cleared his throat and offered them a crooked smile before looking at the Bible he was holding.  
  
"Take it easy preacher," Chris replied, "it will be over soon enough."  
  
Josiah swallowed again and looked over the couple at the people assembled, telling himself repeatedly he could do this. If Chris and Mary could get through this, he could endure delivering their wedding vows.  
  
"You can do it Josiah." Billy said encouragingly, giving the older man a smile.  
  
Josiah took another deep breath, stared at the guests assembled for a brief instant before opening the book before him. He reminded himself that a stiff drink lay at the end of this ordeal and prayed secretly it would be incentive enough to ensure this day went forward smoothly. Deciding he could delay no longer, Josiah drew in his breath and began.  
  
"We are gathered here to join on this fine day..."

* * *

  
As it turned out, Josiah did a most splendid job of conducting the ceremony that finally saw Chris Larabee and Mary Travis wed. He did not falter once in the face of adversity, delivering all his lines with that remarkably erudite voice of his capturing everyone's attention from the moment he began speaking to the instant Chris and Mary sealed their union in a kiss. Everyone almost cheered when Chris and Mary pressed their lips together in the first really public show of affection that anyone in town had ever seen but had always suspected. The gunslinger seemed embarrassed by all the fanfare but Mary seemed perfectly at ease with it all and after awhile, seeing how happy everyone seemed to be by the marriage, Chris relaxed enough to enjoy the fact he was now married once again.  
  
Of course during the reception for his very notable performance, Josiah did get very drunk. He boomed loudly on how he had finally conquered his fear of public speaking before promptly collapsing under a tree where he spent the rest of the night until Julia Pemberton urged someone to take him home.  
  
Billy Travis managed to wedge himself in between Ezra and Julia during the reception party and remained a permanent fixture at the young lady's side much to the chagrin of the gambler who as expected had no opportunity to monopolize any time with the love of his life. Ezra was especially thrilled to learn Billy had a whole itinerary planned of things to do with Julia while his mother and Chris were away from Four Corners.  
  
Things which unobtrusively did not involve or require any participation by Ezra.

Meanwhile J.D. spent the rest of the reception, gravitating between apologizing to Casey while at the same time trying to dodge extremely volatile questions about exactly where their relationship was heading.  
  
And no one used the word 'nice' around Buck.  
  
Chris and Mary left the reception late that evening, disappearing to an undisclosed location to enjoy their honeymoon in a hotel with room service, a 'do not disturb sign on the door', where they did not have to sign the hotel register as Mr and Mrs Smith.  
  
And Josiah got the bridal bouquet.

 

  
**The End**


End file.
